The Major's Little Dove
by Sophia Lilia
Summary: Davina Haywood didn't think she was anybody interesting. That is, until the mysterious Cullen family move to Forks and they seem to take an interest in her. As she falls for the intiguing blonde Texan, what will happen once Bella Swan moves to Forks?
1. Chapter 1

_**Hi guys! This is my new story. I'm English so I don't know much about American school curriculums or American History so if I apologise for any inaccuracies. I also used to Google Translate as I don't speak French or Spanish beyond a few odd words. This is also on my Quotev account: Sophie Louise.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I only own Davina and her family.**_

 _ **Enjoy!**_

Davina Haywood: Danielle Campbell.

The day the Cullen family moved to Forks was a rainy one. Then again, it always rained in Forks. The story around town was that Dr Carlisle Cullen was the best around and, instead of working in some big swanky hospital in California or New York, he took a job at Forks Hospital because his wife, Esme Cullen preferred small towns. They had adopted five children (apparently Mrs Cullen couldn't have her own, which I thought was sad but commendable of them to adopt so many): Edward, Emmett and Alice Cullen, and Rosalie and Jasper Hale.

Forks High School was abuzz with gossip and rumours the day the Cullen kids started. They had pulled into the parking lot in a fancy silver Volvo, wearing high-end designer clothes and looking as though they had just stepped out of a photoshoot for a fashion magazine. They were all startlingly beautiful. I had been sitting in my third period English class when Alice Cullen walked in. She was adorable, tiny in height with a stylish pixie cut and unusual golden eyes. Mr Mason gestured her to sit in the only empty seat in the classroom: next to me. Alice didn't look at me until she sat down but once Mr Mason had told us to work in pairs on a worksheet about the book were supposed to have read over the summer, she turned to me with a smile.

"Hi, I'm Alice Cullen. It's great to meet you!" She held out her hand her hand and when I took it her skin was ice cold. I didn't think anything of it, Forks was known for its wet and cold weather.

"Hi, Alice," I murmured. "I'm Davina Haywood. It's nice to meet you too."

"I love your hair!" My brunette beach waves had been braided into a low bun that morning.

"Thanks, your outfit is so cute!" I grinned back at her and she practically bounced in her seat.

"We're going to be great friends." she said. I didn't know how right she was.

The next time I saw Alice was at lunch. She was sitting with her family, chatting away excitedly about something. After she finished speaking, all of the Cullens seemed surprised about something and the blonde guy's eyes snapped to mine. I blushed and looked away as someone dropped a tray of cafeteria food next to me.

"So," said Jess. "Have you met any Cullens yet?"

"Edward was in my first class this morning," Angela told her. "He sat by himself and didn't seem interested in talking to anyone."

"I sat next to Alice in English. She's very nice, kind of bubbly."

Jessica's jaw dropped as she turned to me. "You _spoke_ to her?"

"Well, she spoke to me first," I said. "I wasn't going to be rude."

"None of the other Cullens have spoken to anyone outside of their siblings!"

"It _is_ their first day, Jess." I swallowed a mouthful of lemonade. "Maybe they're just nervous."

"Maybe." She didn't seem convinced.

Another person joined our table. "So, anyone know anything about the Cullens?" Lauren Mallory was a bitchy blonde, with slate-grey eyes and a penchant for gossip. Maybe that was why she and Jess got along so well.

Jess immediately started gushing," Well, the tiny girl is Alice Cullen. She seems really weird but Davina said she was really nice in English. The huge muscled guy is Emmett Cullen. The two blondes are Rosalie and Jasper Hale, twins apparently, and the bronze haired guy is _Edward_." She sighed his name longingly.

"Got a bit of drool there, Jess." I joked and she glared at me before continuing.

"And guess what? Emmett and Rosalie are _together_! Like, they're dating!"

Lauren gasped. "Isn't that illegal? It's incest or something, right?"

"Not really," said Angela. "They're adopted."

"So? They're still related." Lauren said, disgusted.

"Actually," I said. "They're adopted, so they aren't related by blood which doesn't make it incest. So it isn't illegal."

"Oh," she seemed a little disappointed. "But still, it's weird."

"Leave it alone, Lauren!" I snapped. "Just because you can't get a guy to like you for anything other than your boobs, doesn't mean you can judge other people!"

"Bitch!" Lauren grabbed her tray and stormed off to sit with another group, all bottle-blonde cheerleader wannabes.

"Maybe that was a little harsh, D." Angela murmured.

"Well, I think it was necessary." I retorted. "She's always judging others. She's just jealous over how pretty they are, I bet."

"Probably," Jessica smirked. "She's always been jealous of people that are prettier than her. That's why she hates you."

"Well, she's got nothing to be jealous of."

"Really?" she grinned. "You mean she didn't notice that Jasper Hale has been staring at you for the last five minutes?"

" _What_?" I turned to look at the Cullen table only to see that Jasper was indeed watching me. I blushed again as my brown eyes met his golden ones. _Wait,_ I thought, _aren't they adopted? How do he and Alice have the same eyes?_ I brushed it off after a minute, turning back to my friends. Maybe they just wore contacts to look more like siblings.

"Edward is so hot," Jess sighed. "Do you think I should ask him out later?"

"I thought you liked Mike?" Angela asked.

"I did, but have you _seen_ Edward?"

"Go for it," I suggested. "The worst he can do is say no."

"You're right." She grinned, perking up a little.

Just then, the bell rang and I sighed. I stood up, dumping my tray with the others and headed to History with Angela. As we walked in, Mr Carter handed us our workbooks for the semester. "Hi girls, please take your seats, the chart is on the board." I glanced at the white board and groaned; a seating chart, great. I found my seat in the back and slung my purple bag under the desk after grabbing a pen. My textbook for the year was already placed on my desk and I opened it, reading the contents page to find out what we were studying this year. I suddenly felt a presence next to me and looked up to see who my partner for the year would be. I had to refrain from gasping out loud at the sight of Jasper Hale sitting next to me. He turned to look at me and despite his small smile he seemed to be in pain over something. Maybe he was ill, or nervous.

"Hello." I nearly melted at the faint Southern accent in his smooth voice. "My name is Jasper Hale."

"Uh, hi," I stuttered. "I'm Davina. Davina Haywood."

"It is very nice to meet you, Davina." I said goodbye to my inside once he said my name, they were all mush now anyway.

"Y-you too, Jasper."

His smile widened. He started to say something else, but Mr Carter interrupted by starting the lesson. While Carter droned on about the topics and assessments for the year, I kept sneaking glances at Jasper. Every time I peeked over, I caught his eye as he was already looking at me. My cheeks were a dark pink for the whole hour. Finally, the bell rang for the last class of the day and I quickly packed my stuff away. Before I could walk away, however, a cold hand gently touched my arm and I turned to see Jasper stood next to me. "May I walk you to your next class?"

"Oh, erm," I stuttered again. "Sure."

Jasper smiled and gestured for me to leave the room first. "Ladies first."

"Thank you."

We drew a lot of curious stares as we walked down the corridor. "So," he started. "Have you lived in Forks your whole life?"

"No," I said. "We used to live in France until I was six. My mother is from Nice and I was born there too."

"Your name doesn't sound French."

"Oh, it isn't," I told him. "My father is from Forks and they met while he was studying for a semester abroad in college. They kept in touch when he came back to America to finish college and then he moved to France. Also, Davina was my great-grandmother's name." I blushed again, embarrassed to have blurted out half my life story to a stranger – a gorgeous stranger at that.

"That's lovely," he said. "I'm originally from Texas."

"I noticed," I said and he grinned, a little bashfully. "Well, here we are." We stopped outside of my class and he chuckled.

"French?" he asked.

"Well, the school only offers French and Spanish and I speak both so I just went for French." I shrugged, it was no big deal. At least I knew I would get an easy A.

Jasper grinned and my tummy fluttered. "Au revoir, Davina. Profitez de votre classe." **Goodbye, Davina. Enjoy your class.** He spoke with the accent of a native of France, I was very impressed.

"Au revoir, Jasper. Merci de m'avoir escorté." **Goodbye, Jasper. Thank you for escorting me.**

"Vous êtes les bienvenus." **You're welcome.** He turned and walked back down the corridor, meeting with his sister, Rosalie. She stared at me for a minute until Jasper said something to her and she turned away. I headed into my class, greeting Mrs Martin. When I sat between Jess and Angela, Jessica squealed.

"Angela told me that Jasper Hale walked you to class!"

"Yeah, did." I said.

She squealed again. "Oh, my God! Two Cullens spoke to you today, you are _so_ lucky!"

"Mademoiselle Stanley, refusez de refaire ce bruit dans salle de classe!" Mrs Martin called. **Miss Stanley, please refrain from making that noise again in my class!**

"Désolé, madame Martin." Jess muttered, before turning back to me. **Sorry, Mrs Martin.** "Spill!"

"There isn't anything to spill," I said. "He sits next to me in History and he asked to walk me to my next class. He asked if I was from Forks and when I said I was from France he pointed out that my name isn't French, so I told him about my mom and dad, and he told me he's from Texas. That was pretty much it."

"Still," said Angela. "It's more than anyone else has gotten out of them."

I was surprised. "Ange, I didn't think you'd be one to gossip about this."

"Well, it is pretty exciting," she blushed. The three of us giggled before Mrs Martin called us all to order so that she could start her lesson.

That night over dinner, my mother told us all about the new doctor at Forks Hospital, where she was a nurse. "He is so gorgeous!" she gushed. "He's got lovely golden eyes and he's so _young_! Only about twenty-four, I think. All the nurses adore him."

"Does that include you, dear?" Dad asked, amused.

"Oh, Richard! You know I only have eyes for you." My dad grinned and leaned over to kiss her.

I pulled a face. "Guys, I'm right here!" I protested.

They just laughed at me. "So, how was school?" Mom asked.

"It was fine, Maman," I said. **Mom.** "The new kids started today, the Cullens."

"The doctor's kids, right?" Dad asked.

"Yeah, they're all adopted." I told them. "I only spoke to two of them, Alice and Jasper, but they seem really nice."

"Good." Dad said. "I'm glad you're making new friends. I do not like that blonde Jessica girl."

"Dad, Lauren is the blonde. You like Jessica and Angela, remember?"

"Hmm. Still, it's nice you're making friends with them."

After dinner, I helped clean up and decided to take a shower before bed. "Bonne nuit Maman. Night Dad." They called their own 'good nights' and I headed up the stairs.

Once I was tucked up in my double bed, I switched off the lamp and made sure to set my alarm for the next morning. Just as I was drifting off to sleep, I thought I felt someone brush the hair back out of my face.

"Bonne nuit, ma petite colombe." **Good night, my little dove.**


	2. The Legends

The Cullens' first week at Forks High passed quickly, full of gossip and rumours about why they moved here from Alaska. Wednesday had been rife with drama after both Jessica and Lauren had been rejected by Edward; Jess had dragged me off to Port Angeles for some retail therapy and bitching about Lauren. By the time Friday rolled around I was definitely ready for the weekend.

I walked into Art on Friday afternoon to see Alice already at our table. I'd been happy to find out I had more classes with her. She greeted me happily as Miss Daniels told us to sketch our partners. "I warn you now, Alice, I can't draw for the life of me," I joked.

She giggled and it sounded like wind chimes. "That's okay. If you want I can draw you?"

"Sure," I smiled.

"Great!" Alice opened her sketchpad to a new page and started drawing. I tried to keep as still as possible for her. "So, what are you up to this weekend?"

"Not a lot, really," I said. "I'll probably finish my homework and I think Angela wants to go to a movie. You're welcome to come, if you like?"

"Oh, that would be lovely!" Her smile was contagious. "Do you mind if I get your number after class? That way I can let you know."

"Yeah, no problem. Ask Rosalie if she wants to come too."

Alice gestured for me to raise my chin a little. "I'll ask her, but I'm not sure whether she'll come. She's not very keen on getting to know new people."

"That's fine, I understand," I told her. "Just as long as she knows she's welcome."

"That's really nice of you, Davina," she said.

"Yeah, well," I shrugged it off. "I know what it's like to be the new kid and not know anyone. Granted I was six and kids are easier to make friends with but still." The pixie-like girl nodded and then turned her book over so I could see the drawing. "Whoa! Alice, that is amazing!"

"Thanks!" she grinned as Miss Daniels came over to the table.

"Miss Cullen, that is a fantastic drawing!" she exclaimed. "You know, there's an art competition for the best freehand drawing. I could submit this if you like?"

"Oh, no thank you Miss," Alice waved off the compliment. "I just like drawing for fun. I'm not up for any competitions or anything. Thanks for thinking of me though."

"Well, alright. If you're sure." Miss Daniels seemed disappointed but moved away to check on Mike Newton's work.

"Here," Alice said. "You should keep this." She ripped the page with the drawing out of her sketchpad and slid it over to me.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I've got loads of art at home."

"Thanks, Alice. This is lovely."

I sat next to Angela at lunch, sighing as I opened my pasta salad. Our table was full today; Jessica had finally given up on asking Edward Cullen out and had instead asked Mike Newton to sit with us today. His friends Eric and Tyler had followed him over.

"So girls," Mike started. "We're going down to La Push this weekend, catch some waves. You in?"

"Isn't it meant to rain all weekend?" I asked.

"Weatherman said it's gonna be sunny tomorrow afternoon." Tyler said.

"Well, I'm in!" Jess smiled at Mike, fluttering her eyelashes a bit. I snorted to myself, she looked ridiculous. Looking away to keep myself from laughing, I noticed Jasper watching me from their table. I smiled and he returned it, with a small wave and my tummy flipped. _How does he do this to me? It was just a wave!_ I thought. I saw Edward nudge Jasper with a grin and the blonde's smile widened as they both looked at me. I quickly looked away.

"So Davina, you in or what?" Mike asked.

"For what?"

"La Push." He frowned.

"Oh right."

"So..?"

"Oh, yeah sure." I said. "Why not?"

"Great!" Jess chirped. "Group outing."

I sighed, leaning back in my seat. Great.

We were supposed to be quietly taking notes from our textbook in History but Jasper and I were passing notes instead.

 _Weekend plans?_ I scrawled.

 _ **Camping with Edward and Emmett. You?**_

 _Beach trip tomorrow. Movie on Sunday with Angela. I think Alice is coming too._

 _ **To the beach?**_

 _The movie._

 _ **Oh, good. Alice isn't really a beach person, that's why I was surprised.**_

 _What about you? Do you want to come tomorrow?_

 _ **Camping, remember?**_

 _Oh, yeah. I forgot._

 _ **Besides, I don't really like La Push Beach.**_

I frowned. _Why not?_

 _ **I think it has a strange smell.**_ He smirked to himself, like he'd said something funny.

 _I've never smelt anything bad there._

 _ **Well, I'm going camping otherwise I'd love to spend time with you.**_ I blushed when I read that, the circus in my stomach returning.

 _Maybe we could do something another time?_

 _ **Definitely.**_

Mr Carter cleared his throat. "I hope you two are working."

"Yes sir," Jasper said smoothly. "I was just asking Davina a question about The Siege of New Ulm."

"What was your question, Mr Hale?"

"What was the date?"

"Miss Haywood, care to answer for the class?" Mr Carter crossed his arms, peering at me over his wire-framed glasses.

"August 19th 1862, sir," I murmured.

"Next time you have a question, Mr Hale, do not disturb other students. Raise your hand or come to my desk."

Jasper nodded, "My apologies, Mr Carter."

After a few minutes of working silently, I peeked over at Jasper. He was already watching me. I smiled at him and he winked. I bit my lip to keep from giggling and turned back to my work.

History had never been so interesting.

My alarm went off at 11am the next morning. I groaned and rolled over, slamming my hand down on the button to stop the infernal racket. Sighing, I got out of bed and headed for the bathroom. After taking a shower and brushing my teeth, I ran back across the hall in a towel. Once I was back in the warmth of my room, I rummaged through my closet to find something to wear to the beach. I eventually settled on a dark red one-piece swimsuit, blue denim shorts and a black tank top. I slipped on some black tennis shoes and threw my hair up in a high ponytail, not bothering with makeup. I packed a bag with two towels, some sun lotion, my sunglasses and a book. I pulled a thin hooded sweater over my head and I was ready.

Hurrying down the stairs I grabbed an apple from the kitchen, read a note from my Mom that said she was working late and Dad had gone fishing with Chief Swan. I left the house and got in my car. I needed gas so I stopped by a station on the way to La Push. Pulling up I noticed that most of the group was already here. I made my way over and dropped my bag in the sand next to Angela.

"Davina, you came!"

"Yeah, I thought it would be nice to get out of the house for once." I smoothed my towel out next to hers, sitting comfortably on top of it. "How long have you been here?"

"About half an hour," Angela said. "Mike's trying t impress Jess with some sort of blue fire."

"Oh, the driftwood stuff?"

"You know about that?"

"I've seen a few. My dad likes to show off to my mom." I told her and she laughed.

"That's cute."

I smiled, watching Mike try to light the driftwood. Jess was sitting next to him on a log doing that fluttery eye thing she did when she flirted. Eric and Tyler were messing around with a football. There were children and families from the Reservation scattered around the beach.

"I'm so glad it's warm today, I was getting sick of the rain." I said happily. I pulled my sun lotion out starting to rub cover my legs as I kicked my shoes and socks off.

"I know," Angela sighed. "It's so nice."

I pulled my sweater off and started covering my arms with the lotion. "Hey, no Lauren today?"

"Nope." Angela leaned back onto her towel. "Apparently she didn't want to get sand in her fake blonde hair."

"It would only improve her appearance." We both giggled.

"Hey girls!" We looked up at Jessica and I smiled.

"Hey, Jess," I greeted. "How are you?"

"I'm great!" She sat on Angela's other side on her towel that I'd only just noticed. "I think Mike's really into me."

"That's awesome, Jess."

"Oh, my God!" I cringed at Jessica's sudden squeal.

"What are you squealing about?"

"Look at those boys!"

 _Seriously?_ I thought. _She was just gushing over Mike._ I opened my eyes and shoved my sunglasses up into my hair as I sat up. Two of the Reservation boys had wandered over to our group and were chatting to Mike, Eric and Tyler. Jess stood up and grabbed my arm and Angela's, dragging us over to the boys.

"Hi! I'm Jessica. This is Davina and Angela."

"Well hello," the slightly taller boy said. He looked Jessica up and down. "I'm Paul."

"Jared."

"It's great to meet you!" Jess grinned.

"You too," Paul said. "Wanna come sit by me?"

"Sure!" Jess sat next to Paul on the log with a bubbly smile. I shared a look with Angela and she rolled her eyes. Mike's eyes narrowed and he shot Paul a dirty look. I smirked and went back for my stuff. Hauling it over to the others, I sat back on my towel and Angle did the same.

"So you guys got to Forks High?" Paul asked.

"Yeah, we're sophomores," Jess told him.

"That's cool, we're juniors," said Jared.

"An older guy, huh?" Jess had turned her fluttery powers onto Paul and Mike's glare heated up. Paul chuckled deeply and moved closer to Jessica. I rolled my eyes and grabbed my book out of my bag. Turning onto my stomach, I kicked my feet up into the air.

"So, Davina," Mike began. "Did you not invite your boyfriend to come?"

"Jasper isn't my boyfriend." _Yet._ "Besides, he went camping with his brothers."

"Shame," said Jess. "I bet he looks good on a beach."

"Who's this Jasper?" Jared asked.

"Jasper is one of the new kids at school," Jess gossiped. "The Cullens."

Paul and Jared shared a look. "The new doctor's family."

"Yeah," I said.

"They're not allowed onto the Res," Jared told us. "We don't know why though, the Elders won't tell us."

"We're not supposed to go to Forks hospital anymore either," Paul added. "They've got something against the doctor."

"Why?" I asked. "My mother's a nurse there and she said Doctor Cullen is lovely, an amazing doctor. Especially since he's only about twenty-four or something."

"Well, all we know is there was a tribal bonfire and we were told to stay away from them," said Jared.

"I don't see why," I wondered. "The kids are all pretty nice."

The two boys shrugged and Paul turned back to Jessica. Jared shuffled off the log to sit next to my towel. Mike, Tyler and Eric had dragged Angela off to play football. "So you talk to the Cullen kids?"

"Yeah," I closed my book. "Well, I've only spoken to two of them but they seem great. Makes me wonder what your Elders have against them."

"Something to do with or legends," said Jared.

I closed my book and sat up. "You have legends?"

"Yeah, mostly about the Spirit Warriors," he nodded.

"Spirit Warriors?"

"Yeah. We aren't really supposed to tell the stories to _outsiders_ but they're only stories so what harm can it do?"

Jared went on to tell me the Quileute legends about Spirit Warriors:

The spirit warriors were the first to shift from humans into wolves. Quileute population was always small, but they never disappeared since it was believed they had magic in their bloodlines. The Quileute tribe settled in La Push and became efficient fishermen and shipbuilders. As time passed, other peoples coveted their land and moved against them for it. The tribe was small and could not defend themselves, so they took their ships and left the land. At sea, Kaheleha used the magic in their blood to defend it. He was the first Spirit Chief in Quileute history. He and all the men left the ships in spirit only, using the original power of Quileute Astral Projection, leaving their bodies behind under the care of the women. Though they could not physically hurt the enemy, the warriors had other ways. They blew fierce winds into enemy camps; they could make great screaming in the wind and could manipulate animals to do their bidding. Animals were the only ones that could see them and help. The invading tribe had packs of thick-furred dogs to pull their sleds in the north, and which were set against them. Bats were brought out of the cliff caverns. As a result, the dogs and bats won and the survivors of the invaders scattered thinking the harbor cursed. The Quileutes released the dogs, who ran wild, and returned to their bodies victorious. The Hohs and the Makahs made treaties with the Quileutes because they wanted nothing to do with their magic.

Generations passed and the last of the great Spirit Chiefs came to be. Taha Aki was a man of peace and was known for his wisdom. However there was one man named Utlapa who believed that they should use their magic to expand their control over the Hohs and the Makahs, building an empire. When the spirit warriors left their bodies their minds were all connected with each other. Taha Aki did not like what Utlapa wanted and banned him from the tribe. Utlapa left and hid in the nearby forest.

Taha Aki was vigilant and protected his people even when there was no danger. Every so often, the Spirit Chief would leave the village to a sacred and secret place in the mountains. He would leave his body behind and searched the surrounding areas for any dangers or threats. One day, Utlapa followed Taha Aki planning to kill him, but as he waited for him to leave his body he hatched another plan. Utlapa left his body, took Taha Aki's body, and killed his own. Taha Aki knew immediately what was happening when Utlapa joined him in the spirit world. He raced back to his sacred place but was too late. He followed his body in his spirit self down to the tribe. For weeks he watched with despair as Utlapa made sure everyone believed he was Taha Aki. Then Utlapa's first edict came: no warrior was to enter the spirit world because he had a vision of danger, but in truth he was afraid of Taha Aki. Utlapa took liberties with the tribe that no one ever dreamed of. He took a second and a third wife, even though Taha Aki's wife still lived. Eventually, Taha Aki brought a great wolf down the mountains to kill Utlapa and free the tribe, but Utlapa only hid from it behind his warriors. The wolf ended up killing a young man, making Taha Aki's grief greater.

Taha Aki had been away from his body long enough to be in agony. He felt doomed of never being ever to cross the line between life and death. The great wolf followed him through the forest and Taha Aki felt jealous of the animal; at least it had a body and a life. At that moment the Spirit Chief had an idea that changed the future of the Quileutes. He asked the animal if he could share his body with him and the wolf complied. As a single being, the wolf and the man went to the village. The people feared the wolf, shouting for the warriors' help. The warriors came with spears in their hands, but they stopped in surprise of what the wolf was doing: the wolf was retreating from the warriors and trying to yelp the songs of their people. The warriors realized what it was doing and could only think that it was being influenced by a spirit.

An old warrior, Yut, disobeyed the orders of the false chief and left his body. Yut gathered the truth in an instant and welcomed Taha Aki. Almost instantly, Utlapa realized what had happened and raced towards Yut's body with his knife. The other warriors were confused. Yut went back into his body but could not fight Utlapa off before warning the others, as he was too old. Taha Aki watched as Yut's spirit left the world and he returned to the wolf's body feeling a great rage. The wolf shuddered and transformed into a man before the eyes of the warriors. The man did not look like Taha Aki's body, but like his spirit self, which the warriors recognized instantly. Utlapa tried to run but Taha Aki had the strength of the wolf and killed him. Upon realization of what had happened, everything returned to normal. The only change he kept in place was the forbidding of spirit travel. From then on he was known as the Great Wolf or the Spirit Man. He led the tribe for many years because he did not age. He fathered many sons, who in time found that they too could turn into wolves on reaching manhood. However, they were all different because the wolf form reflected the spirit of the man. Some became warriors like Taha Aki and did not age, others did not like to transform, and started to age.

After Taha Aki gave up his spirit self, trouble began in the North with the Makahs. Several young women had disappeared and they believed the neighboring wolves were to blame. However, all the wolves knew it was none of them because their minds were still connected with each other. Taha Aki did not want a war, especially since he could not lead his people any longer. He gave his eldest son, Taha Wi, the responsibility of finding who was to blame. Taha Wi led five wolves in search through mountains looking for evidence but they only found a strange, sweet scent. They followed it and the journey took them so far north that Taha Wi sent the two younger brothers back to inform the chief. Taha Wi and the other two never returned.

A year later, two Makah maidens were taken from their homes on the same night and the Makahs called upon the wolves. The Quileutes found the same sweet scent and went on the hunt once more. Only one of them returned. Yaha Uta, the eldest son of Taha Aki's third wife, returned carrying strange cold pieces of a corpse. He described what had happened to his brothers. One of them underestimated the strength of the creature and became a victim. Yaha Uta and his other brother were more careful but the creature matched their movements and got his hands on one of them. Yaha Uta found an opening on the creature's throat and began tearing at him desperately trying to save his brother. It was too late but he succeeded in ripping his enemy apart.

Yaha Uta laid the remains of the creature on the ground to be examined. Suddenly the corpse began to attach itself together and so the elders set fire to it. They spread the ashes far and wide, except a small bag which Taha Aki wore around his neck to be warned if the creature ever decided to get himself together again. The creature was called the Cold One and the Blood Drinker. They feared there were others like it since they only had one wolf protector left. Then came the Cold Woman, its mate. She was the most beautiful creature to be seen, though one small boy claimed the smell hurt his nose. An elder heard this and yelled for them to get away. He was the first to die at the mercy of the woman. She then proceeded to the other people until Yaha Uta arrived, followed by Taha Aki, his third wife, and the elders. When Yaha Uta was defeated, Taha Aki turned into an old gray wolf with the strength given by his anger alone. He began fighting the Cold Woman, when his third wife came to a conclusion.

She had just seen her son killed and now her husband ran a terrible danger, along with the rest of her sons and tribe. She heard every word the witnesses told the council and heard Yaha Uta's version of events the night the other one was beaten. She knew that his brother's divergence had saved him. She grabbed a knife from one of her sons, ran towards the blood drinker and stabbed herself in the heart. The Cold Woman could not turn away from the fresh blood and gave in to the thirst. Taha Aki bit her throat and finished her off along with two of his sons who felt such rage at seeing their mother dead that they turned into wolves. After that, Taha Aki never returned to his human self, staying to protect his wife's body and leaving to the forest never to return to the tribe.

Taha Aki's descendants no longer turned to wolves when they reached manhood. Only when a cold one was near would they return. The cold ones always came in one or two so the pack stayed small with 3 wolves until a bigger coven came.

The leader of the coven spoke to Ephraim Black as if he were a man and promised not to harm the Quileutes. His strange yellow eyes gave proof of this, and a treaty was offered to the tribe even though there was no need—they outnumbered the wolves and could have won easily if they fought. Ephraim accepted and the coven's numbers forced a larger pack than before. Over the years, the coven left and returned to Forks but always kept true to their word and did not harm the tribe.

"Apparently, the yellow-eyed coven is back with two new members now. There are rumours in the tribe that the Cullen family is that coven." Jared finished.

"Wow," I said.

"I know, it's insane," he laughed. "But it's all just stories anyway."

"Well, don't worry I won't tell," I swore.

Just then a football narrowly missed my head and I grabbed it from the sand, standing up. "Hey, Newton!" I tossed the ball back to him and clocked him straight in the chest. I laughed at his pain then started running as he chased after me.

Later that night I was curled up in bed with my laptop. Before I could second guess myself I searched ' _cold, pale, beautiful, golden eyes'_ and waited for it to load. Reading through various websites I only got more freaked out. Finally, I could not deny the truth anymore.

The Cullens were Cold Ones. Jasper was a vampire.


	3. Evasive Maneuvers

When I pulled up to the school the Cullen family was standing around Edward's snazzy Volvo. Taking a deep breath, I got out of the car and started walking towards the main doors. I didn't even peek over at the Cullens as I walked passed.

I quickly sorted through my stuff at my locker and slammed it shut. Turning to go to class, I jumped seeing Jasper standing next to me with a small frown.

"Jeez!"

"My apologies," he murmured. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, fine." I said, maybe a little defensively.

"I just came over to ask if I could walk you to your class."

"Uh, well," I stuttered. "I don't want you to be late."

"I won't be," Jasper said. "The bell hasn't even rung yet."

"Right." Having no reason to deny him, other than the fact that he could kill me in a flash, I gestured for him to lead the way. Jasper held out his arm, as he usually did, and I took it nervously.

"Are you sure you're alright, Davina?" His gorgeous face looked so concerned I almost blurted out what I knew right then and there.

"I'm fine, Jasper. I'm just tired. I didn't sleep very well last night." I prayed he would buy it.

"Okay."

We continued our walk in silence and once we reached Mr. Mason's English class I untangled our arms as fast as I could without causing suspicion. I had a feeling it didn't work from the way his frown deepened. "Well, I have to go to class now," I muttered.

"As do I," Jasper said. "Would you like to sit with me at lunch?"

"I should probably sit with Jess and the others today," I hedged. "I kind of blew them off yesterday, I wasn't feeling well."

"Alice did mention that you postponed your trip to the movies."

"Yeah, well, like I said I was ill."

"You seem better now."

"It was just a headache," I fibbed. The bell rang and there was a sudden rush of students moving through the halls. "You should get to class." I told him.

"Yes, I should." Jasper raised his hand slightly, as if he was going to take my hand, but then dropped it. Turning on his heel, he gracefully strode down the hall. I sighed and headed into class.

As I set my books up for the lesson, someone sat next to me. I briefly closed my eyes; _damn, I forgot about Alice._

"Hi Davina!"

"Hello Alice."

"Are you okay?" she asked. "I hope you're feeling better."

"I'm fine." _Where the hell is Mr. Mason?_

"Are you sure? You're being very quiet." Alice put a cold hand gently over mine, her face mimicking Jasper's concerned expression.

"Yes, I'm fine Alice," I moved my hand. "I'm just tired."

Alice nodded and left me alone as class started. How was I supposed to get through the day if I had vampires showing up wherever I went?

By lunch time I was exhausted from the sheer effort of avoiding the Cullens. I'd seen Rosalie and Emmett in the hall earlier and I'd actually ducked into the girls' bathroom until the bell rang, despite having never spoken to either of them.

I sat next to Angela at the usual table, only this time I sat with my back to the Cullen table. I could feel eyes on me but I didn't look over to see who they belonged to. I was too nervous to eat so I just sipped my lemonade and half-listened to Jessica's gossip about some random seniors. I closed my eyes, crossed my arms on the table and rested my head against them. My brain was working a mile a minute to process the fact that _vampires existed_ and five of them went to my school. I sighed when the bell rang, I seemed to be doing a lot of that today, and reluctantly went to History. As I stood outside the classroom I seriously considered skipping but I decided that it wasn't worth my grade or a detention. Jasper was already in his seat and I ignored him as I sat down. Luckily, he didn't get a chance to talk to me; my hesitation in the hall had made me late enough that Mr. Carter was discussing the previous week' homework. I steadfastly ignored the gorgeous blonde man next to me for the entire hour that Mr. Carter about the Colorado War.

I breathed more easily as I got to French. I wouldn't have to concentrate much in this class and Mrs. Martin never picked me to answer questions because she knew I was already fluent. I sat quietly in the back working on my sheet instead.

"Êtes-vous d'accord, Davina?" I looked up to see Mrs. Martin in front of my desk. She crouched next to my chair so that I didn't have to crane my neck. "Vous êtes trés calme aujourd'hui." **Are you alright, Davina? You're very quiet today.**

"Oui, madame Martin," I said. "Je ne me sens pas comme moi aujourd'hui." **Yes, Mrs. Martin. I'm just not feeling like myself today.**

"Avez-vous besoin d'aller chez l'infirmière, mon cher?" **Do you need to go to the nurse, dear?**

"Je pense que cela pourrait être une bonne idée." **I think that might be a good idea.**

"Je vais vous écrire un laissez-passer." **I'll write you a hall pass.** Mrs. Martin stood up to get the pass and I packed up my stuff, moving slowly to the front of the room.

After faking a headache to the gullible middle-aged nurse, I slowly drove home. My mother's car was in the driveway.

"Maman?" I shouted as I walked in the door. **Mom?**

"Davina?" she yelled back. "Que faited-vous à la maison si tôt?" **What are you doing home so early?**

I followed her voice to the kitchen. "J'ai eu mal à la tête." **I had a headache.**

"Quelle leçon avez-vous ignoré et pourquoi? **What lesson did you skip and why?** Mom turned around from where she was putting Tupperware boxes of food in the fridge.

"Français," I said, sitting at the table. "Et je vous l'ai dit, j'ai à la tête. Qu'y a-t-il avec les baignoires?" **French. And I told you, I had a headache. What's with the tubs of food?**

"Eh bien, en fait, je voulais vous parler," she said. **Well, actually I wanted to talk to you.** Mom sat opposite me at the table. "Votre papa a une conférence de travail à Seattle. Il doit être là demain, c'était très une minute. Et notre anniversaire est venu ce samedi, alors il m'a demandé d'aller avec lui. Nous venons vraiment à Paris vendredi soir, nous serons de retour le lundi matin. Pensez-vous que allez bien, cheri?" **Your Dad has a work conference in Seattle. He has to be there tomorrow, it was very last minute. And our anniversary is coming up this Saturday, so he asked me to go with him. We're flying to Paris on Friday night, we'll be back on Monday morning. Do you think you'll be alright, darling?**

"Oh," I said. "Ouais, maman, je serai absolument bien. Je suis assez vieux pour m'occuper de moi-même pendant toujours aller à la maison de Jess ou d'Angela. Vous et papa devraient célébrer." **Yeah, Mom, I'll be absolutely fine. I'm old enough to take care of myself for a few days and besides, if I need anything I can always go to Jess or Angela's house. You and Dad should celebrate.**

My mom took my hand across the table. "Thank you, darling," she said, switching to English. "Are you sure you're feeling well enough? You said you had a headache?"

"Maman, I'm fine. You and Dad should celebrate your anniversary and I could use the peace and quiet," I joked. She gasped, hitting my arm gently and I laughed.

"Well, I have to go into work for a few hours," Mom said. "But I will be back around ten tonight. Dad and I are leaving at seven tomorrow so we probably won't be here when you get up, but I'll leave you some breakfast. There's enough food in the fridge to last you, but I'll leave some money for you too, just in case."

"Thanks, maman." I hugged her tightly and went upstairs for a lie down. God knows I needed a nap after my day of avoidance.

 _I was running through the streets. I had no idea where I was, not bothering to look at street names in my hurry. There was nobody around. I glanced behind me. He wasn't there. My breath grew ragged as I sprinted for my life. All of a sudden I smacked into something hard. His hands gripped my arms tightly and I looked into his startlingly red eyes. A growl ripped through his chest as I gasped in fear. He rested his forehead gently against mine._

" _My apologies, Davina," he whispered. "I'm just so thirsty."_

 _A fire ripped through me as his sharp teeth teared into my neck._

I shot up in bed, gasping for breath. My hand went to my neck where Jasper's had bitten me in the dream. Once I realised that I was fine, just frightened, I checked my phone to see that it was quarter past four in the morning. Groaning, I crawled off my bed and grabbed a towel and some clean pyjamas. Maybe a shower would help calm me down.

As I stood under the warm water I thought of Jasper's concerned face in the hall. How could someone so concerned for my wellbeing ever hurt me like dream-Jasper had? I didn't think the Jasper I knew would hurt me. But then I didn't really know Jasper. I had only met him a week ago; he was a vampire, who knows how long he'd been around? Who knows what he'd done before he met me?

I climbed out of the shower, dried off and got dressed. Once I was comfy, I towel-dried my hair and went back to bed. As I lay in the dark, I thought about what I was going to do. Clearly I couldn't avoid the Cullens forever; I had classes with Jasper and Alice and it _was_ a small school. I sighed, rolling over as I came to a decision.

I would have to confront Jasper tomorrow.


	4. Explanations

When my alarm went off only a few hours later, I groaned. Unfortunately for me, when I rolled over to ignore the alarm I fell out of bed instead of back to sleep. Huffing at the terrible start to what was bound to be a crappy day, I managed to untangle myself from the covers and made my way to the bathroom. Not bothering with another shower I brushed my teeth and used the toilet. When I got back to my room I brushed my hair and threw it into a high ponytail. I applied winged eyeliner, mascara and light pink lipgloss before pulling on the clothes I'd hung on the closet door last night: dark blue skinny jeans; a pale pink, long-sleeved t-shirt and a thick white cardigan. I pulled on my tan ankle boots and went downstairs. My parents had left a note reminding me that they would be back on Monday and that there was food in the fridge that just needed reheating. I scrunched my nose at the thought of eating breakfast and grabbed my car keys.

The Cullens had beaten me to school again judging by the Volvo that was parked next to my usual space. I pulled into a free space three rows down to avoid them, not sure if they'd be waiting in the car. I walked as quickly as I could to my locker, sorting through my books for the day and then practically sprinted to English. Alice wasn't there yet so I sat down and read quietly, hoping that she wouldn't get there too early. Luck was on my side and Mr. Mason walked in right behind her. Unluckily, we were working in partners today. _Damn._ I turned to Alice, ready to get it over with as fast as I could, only to see her golden eyes already watching me.

"Alice?"

"You know," she said quietly.

I tried to control my breathing. "Know what?"

"About my family."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I insisted. I had planned on talking to Jasper but apparently Alice had other plans. She raised her hand, luring the Mr. Mason over to our desk.

"Yes, Miss. Cullen?"

"I'm not feeling well, sir," she said, placing a small hand on her stomach and mimicking a pained expression. "Is it alright if I go to the nurse?"

"Oh, well, um," he hesitated. "Sure, I'll, ah, write you a pass."

"Do you mind if Davina walks me there? Just in case." Alice looked at the man with wide, innocent eyes and he caved immediately. Once Mr. Mason had given her the hall pass, Alice grabbed my wrist and pulled me from the classroom. I huffed, trying to shove my books back in my bag and walk at the same time. She led me outside to my car and gestured for me to unlock it. I did and she hopped into the passenger seat. Slowly, I joined her in the car.

"You know that we're vampires."

I made a surprised noise in the back of my throat, my eyes widening. "Uh…"

"It's okay," Alice said. "I knew you'd figure it out, I just didn't think it would be so quickly." My voice was still failing me and she frowned. "Are you okay?" I shrugged and she smiled kindly. "We won't hurt you, you know? Is that what you're afraid of?"

I bit my lip. "Kinda…"

"Well, don't worry about it. My family are all vegetarians."

"Vegetarians?"

Alice smiled again. "A tongue-in-cheek expression. It means we only drink animal blood." I took a deep breath at the word _blood_ and she frowned again. "You're not going to be sick are you?"

I shook my head and finally looked her in the eye. "Why are you telling me all this?"

"You're important to Jasper," she said matter-of-factly. "That means you're important to the rest of us. Even Rose and Edward, though they are being a bit difficult about it for the moment. But they'll come around."

"Why am I important Jasper?" I asked, confused.

"That is something Jasper has to tell you," Alice said. "But don't worry, I think he's going to tell you soon."

"Okay…" I trailed off, resting my head against the window. "Well, my plan clearly didn't work."

"Well, when I saw that you planned to confront Jasper in History I also saw you having a panic attack about it so I decided maybe I was best if I just told you straight up."

"Okay," I said again. "Wait, you saw what?"

"Oh, right, you don't know," Alice giggled a bit. "Some vampires have extra abilities, you know apart from the super strength and speed and immortality stuff. For example, I can see the future."

"So, did you see me before any of this happened?" I asked.

"I've been having visions of you for decades," she explained. "I met Jasper a couple of years after I became a vampire; I'd seen a vision of him in a diner and I waited for him. I knew that we would be better off with the Cullens' way of life. Once I saw him in person, I started having visions of you. So I told Jasper that if he came with me he would eventually meet you. He's been waiting years for you."

My head grew light and I took another deep breath. "But _why_?"

"I'm sorry, Davina," she said. "But Jasper wants to be the one to tell you." She looked out the window at something and I followed her gaze to see Jasper standing by the door to the front office. "Go on. "You two should talk." Alice opened the car door, bouncing out of the car and passed Jasper. She stopped to whisper something in his ear and the blonde never took his eyes off me. When Alice went back into school, Jasper made his way over to my car.

He hesitated for a minute before climbing in to the passenger seat. His butterscotch eyes never left my face.

"So you know." Like Alice, he didn't ask, he just stated it bluntly.

"Yeah," I sighed. "I know."

"How much did Alice tell you?" he asked.

"She said that you guys only drink animal blood and that I'm important to you for some reason," I told him. "She wouldn't say why though."

Jasper nodded. "Feel like skipping school?"

"Where are we going?"

"Just drive, I'll tell you where to go."

Eventually, after twenty minutes of driving, we were on an empty road leading to the edge of town. Jasper told me to take a left turn that I hadn't even seen coming up. As I drove, a huge house appeared between the trees. It was gorgeous. I parked my car in front of the garage. "This house is amazing," I gushed. "This is where you live?"

"Yeah, Esme loves interior decorating and architecture so she designed and decorated it herself. It's one of the few places we can be ourselves." Jasper got out of the car and before I could even reach for the handle, he had appeared at my door. I jumped and he grinned as he opened the door. "My apologies. I didn't mean to frighten you."

"You didn't." I locked my car, following him up the front steps. "I just wasn't expecting it."

Jasper smiled again, leading me into the house and up the stairs into the massive, open living room.

" _Wow_!" I gasped. "This is stunning." The back wall was completely made of glass and revealed a striking view of the forest that surrounded the house.

"Esme will be happy to hear that you like it." Jasper was still standing in the doorway, his hands behind his back in a slightly military pose; almost like a soldier standing at attention.

"Jasper, are you okay?" I asked.

"Yes, I'm fine." I slowly walked over to stand in front of him. "I need to tell you some things, Davina. And I need you to please listen. When I'm finished, if you want me to leave you alone then I will. But you have a right to know."

I nodded. "Okay." We sat on the comfortable white sofa and I waited for him to start.

"I wasn't created by Carlisle like most of the others," he began. I listened as he told me about his past: Jasper had joined the Confederate Army before he turned 17, lying about his age. In the following 2 years, he was promoted to major in the army and became the youngest major in Texas. After evacuating women and children, he rode on his way back to Galveston and met the vampires, Maria, Lucy and Nettie, who had recently lost their respective territories to other covens. Maria knew from his suit that he was in the military and changed him into a vampire in hopes of utilizing his training and experience to create an efficient army. When he became a vampire, he gained the ability to feel and manipulate people's emotions which was very useful in controlling the younger newborns. He and other newborns helped Maria reclaim her territory and later claim dominance over others. Nettie and Lucy gained territories of their own, but when they tried to rebel against Maria, Jasper sensed their malevolent emotions and teamed up with Maria to kill them. Jasper and Maria seemingly shared a short romantic relationship but she never got over her deceased mate. Jasper commanded Maria's newborn army that participated in the Southern vampire wars. Since Maria wouldn't keep vampires after the first year of their transformations, Jasper was responsible for disposing of them, something he felt remorseful of because he could feel their pain when he killed them just as much as he could feel the pain of his human victims. Overtime, the pain and cruelty of such existence depressed him to no end. While in the army, he befriended a newborn named Peter, whom he persuaded Maria to keep because of his advanced combat skills and kindred spirit.

When Peter ran off with his mate Charlotte, a newborn that they were supposed to kill, Jasper allowed them to escape. After this incident, Maria's feelings for him changed: he could sense how fearful - and somewhat mistrustful - she was toward him, and knew that she would plot a way to destroy him. He began planning how to destroy her first, despite his reluctance to the idea of destroying the one person who mattered to him, but his years in the coven had affected him so deeply that he almost became a savage.

In 1938, Peter came back and told Jasper about the way vampires could coexist up North. He immediately left Maria and her coven to join Peter and Charlotte. However, he did not find peace, since he could still feel the emotions of his human victims, which deeply depressed him. Eventually, he left Charlotte and Peter. He tried to kill less often, but the thirst always grew overwhelming.

In 1948, he ran into a diner in Philadelphia and met Alice Cullen. At first, he was puzzled by her happy behaviour around him, but nevertheless, her joyful emotions impacted him greatly. As it turned out, she had been waiting for him. When she told him about her visions of me he said that he had felt an unfamiliar emotion for the first time: hope.

She also told him about the ability to survive off of animal blood instead of human blood, as well as their future with Carlisle Cullen and his family. He didn't know such a thing could exist but he followed her. With the help of Alice's 'sight', they searched for the Cullens, and in the meantime, learned to adjust to vegetarianism. Finally, they located the family in 1950 and quickly joined them. I giggled a bit when he told me that Alice had moved all of Edward's stuff into the garage and stolen his room because it "had the best view".

Sometime after that, by Carlisle's suggestion and due to their physical similarities, Jasper changed his surname to that of his adoptive sister Rosalie's to pose as her twin. He mentioned that Maria sought him out when they were in Calgary. The encounter prompted the family to move again, and Jasper politely asked Maria to keep her distance, because he had no interest in rejoining her coven and lifestyle. I was happy when he told me that; I'd been a little jealous when he told me that they had been romantically involved and then I'd been embarrassed when I realised he could probably feel that.

When Jasper finished his story I leaned back into the sofa, watching his face. The pain on his face when he talked about his past, especially the part about Maria and killing all those newborns, his struggle with drinking human blood, was just heart-breaking.

"Are you alright, Davina?"

"Hmm?" I focused back in and saw Jasper watching me as if I might bolt any second. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking."

"May I ask what about?"

"I was just thinking about how hard it was for you. You didn't deserve any of that; well, except for finding Alice and the rest of the family."

"Davina, you don't need to worry about that now." Jasper smiled softly. "I'm fine, I'm happy here. Especially around you."

"But why are you happy around me?" I asked. "Don't I make you thirsty? I don't want you to be uncomfortable. And _why_ has Alice been having visions of me for years? Why am I so important to you?"

"Davina!" Jasper interrupted my mini panic attack. "Breathe, okay, calm down."

A wave of calm washed over me and I was suddenly able to breathe. "Is that you?"

Jasper nodded. "Yes." After a few minutes he spoke again. "So, you've heard of the concept of soulmates, yes?" I nodded. "Well, for vampires, at least, it's true. We call them mates and every vampire has one. It may take years to find each other but when you do you just know."

"Okay, but why do I need to know all of this?"

"Because," Jasper said. "You're my mate."

My mouth opened slightly in surprise. "Oh."

"I'm sorry. I know it's a lot to take in," he continued. "And I just want you to know that I don't expect anything from, you. It is completely up to you what happens now."

"I don't really know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything."

"I- can we just be friends?" I asked. "For now at least? I just- I don't want to jump right into anything and I am attracted to you and I love being around you. But I want to get to know you first. Is that okay?"

Jasper looked surprised at first and then he smiled. Not a cheeky grin or the little smirk he did sometimes but a genuine, happy smile. "That is absolutely fine, Davina, much more than I was expecting."

"Did you expect me to run away screaming?"

"Well, maybe a little." Jasper chuckled a bit and I smiled.

"I'm sorry I've been ignoring you."

"It's understandable," he said.

"No, let me talk," I said. "I was scared when I first figured out that you're a vampire. But now I realise that you're still you and I feel so stupid for ever being scared of you. The idea of vampires actually existing is a frightening, life-altering one. But I am not scared of _you_. Or your family."

"Even after I told you everything I've done?"

"Jasper, you didn't know any better. It wasn't your fault. Maria manipulated you into doing all those things when you were in her army. And you said yourself you struggled with human blood because you could feel everything they did. You're trying now, with the animal diet, you're _trying_ and that's all that matters to me."

"Thank you." Jasper looked as though he could cry but all I could feel was a sense of euphoria and I knew he was projecting his own feelings. I slid across the sofa so that I was right next to him and wrapped my arms around him, resting my head on his chest.

"Is this okay?"

His arms came around me, holding me to his chest tightly but not enough to hurt me. His chin rested on my head and he sighed, content.

"This is perfect."


	5. The Family

Jasper and I were cuddling on the sofa; he was telling me more about vampires when Esme came home. She was a stunning woman, as I'd noticed all the vampires I had met were, with auburn hair and a gentle smile. She had a maternal look about her.

"Oh, Jasper," she said as she saw us in the living room. "You're home early." Her kind topaz eyes met my brown ones. "You must be Davina; it's so lovely to finally meet you, dear!"

Jasper sat up straight. "Davina, this is our mother, Esme."

"Hello, Esme," I said shyly. "It's great to meet you too."

"Would you like something to drink, sweetheart?" Esme asked. "I'm sure Jasper forgot to offer." She sent a scolding look towards her son who grinned a little sheepishly.

"Oops!" he said. "I'm sorry, Davina."

"Its fine, Jasper, really," I told him and he chuckled deeply. Esme had disappeared while I was watching Jasper and she came back with a tall glass of lemonade. "Oh, thank you. To be honest, I wasn't expecting you guys to have food or anything. Jasper said you don't eat."

"Well," said Esme. "Usually we keep a few things around the house for human appearances, just in case, but once the children started talking about you I started keeping more food in the kitchen for when we eventually met you."

"That's very thoughtful, Mrs Cullen, thank you," I murmured. I took a small sip of my lemonade. "This is lovely."

"Call me Esme, dear. And thank you, it's homemade," Esme beamed. "Jasper said it's your favourite."

I blushed lightly, looking at Jasper who shrugged. "You order it every day at lunch."

Esme practically glowed with happiness as she watched our interaction. "Well, I have some work to do so I will leave you both to it. It's almost the end of school, Jasper, so your siblings should be home soon. Carlisle finishes early at the hospital today as well. Davina, would you like to stay for dinner?"

"Oh, no thank you, Esme," I smiled. "I should probably get home soon, I have a ton of homework to do."

"No problem," she replied kindly. "Jasper will drive you home, won't you?" Esme looked pointedly at her son who smiled indulgently.

"Of course, Esme," Jasper said smoothly, his Texan accent reflected in his words. "I would never dream of letting a lady drive home alone."

"Such a gentleman!" His mother gushed. I smiled at the obvious affection between mother and son; it was sweet that this family had found each other despite their circumstances. "Okay, I must get this work done before Carlisle gets home. You two enjoy yourselves." Esme glided out of the room with a smile and I turned to see Jasper watching me, a small smile of his own on his lips.

"So, would you like a tour?" he asked. I nodded and Jasper took my hand, lacing our fingers together. He showed me the kitchen, which reminded me of a showroom in Ikea; the dining room where Jasper said was reserved for family meetings. We went upstairs, passed Carlisle's office, where Esme was working, and Jasper pointed out everyone's bedrooms. Finally we reached a door on the left side of the house. "This is my room."

I shyly opened the door, stepping into Jasper's sanctuary. The room itself was huge: the walls were a dark forest green, meeting a dark oak wood floor. Matching wooden bookshelves stood against the far wall, crammed full of books of all sizes. In front of the bookshelves was a black leather sofa and a matching armchair, with a small coffee table in that was made of black-tinted glass. Mounted on the opposite wall was a large flat screen television. The wall opposite the door was almost completely glass, again showing a stunning view of the forest, with a patio door leading onto a balcony. There was an alcove between the door and the TV containing a double bed, with a grey bedspread.

"I thought you didn't sleep?"

"I don't," Jasper chuckled. "Alice made me get the bed when she starting seeing more visions of you after we moved here. She had a feeling this is where we would finally meet."

I blushed. "You bought the bed for me?"

"Of course," he said. "I want you to be comfortable here. You never have to use it if you don't want to. It was just in case you decided to sleep over here for whatever reason. I'm sorry, I can get rid of it-"

"Jasper!" I laughed. "C'est incroyable! Nobody's ever done anything like that for me it's so thoughtful." **This is incredible.** I threw my arms around him, hugging him tightly and he returned it.

"You're very welcome, ma petite colombe," he whispered into my hair. **My little dove.**

"Wait," I pulled back a little to look him in the eye. "I've heard that before. I thought it was a dream."

Jasper looked a little embarrassed. "I may have… visited you once."

"While I was asleep?"

"It was when you first moved here, I was curious because Alice has been sketching pictures of you for years but nothing compares to the real thing."

"I'm a thing?" I teased.

"No, that's not what I meant," he rambled. "I just- You're laughing?"

"Yes," I giggled. "You are so cute when you're embarrassed."

"You aren't mad?" Jasper asked.

"No, but next time you get curious and decide to pay me a midnight visit, please let me know."

"Deal," he laughed. "The others have just pulled up outside. Do you want to meet them?"

I had already met Alice, of course, but I'd only seen Edward, Emmett and Rosalie from a distance. "Sure."

Jasper joined our hands again and led me downstairs. Edward was sitting at the piano in the living room, a few tinkling sounds were being emitted. Emmett and Rosalie were sitting on the couch where we had previously been, a football game on the TV.

"Davina!" Alice bounced up to me out of nowhere, flinging her arms around me.

"Hi, Alice," I choked.

"Alice, let her breathe," Jasper smirked.

"Sorry!" the pixie chimed. She pulled back with smile. "So, are you okay now?"

"I'm fine, Alice," I assured her.

"Great!"

"Davina," Jasper started. "This is Edward, Emmett and Rosalie, my other siblings."

"Hi," I murmured.

Edward smiled, "Hello, Davina. It's nice to meet you."

"You too, Edward."

"What's up, Squirt?" Emmett boomed. "Jazz-man's been talking non-stop about you!" I blushed and the giant vampire laughed. "That's so cute."

"Emmett!" Rosalie hissed.

"What, babe? You know that's not what I meant." He defended.

"This is ridiculous!" Rosalie shot me sharp glare and stormed out of the house.

"Sorry, Squirt," Emmett shrugged. "She'll come around." He followed Rosalie out.

"Well, I should probably drive you home now," Jasper said. I nodded, a little embarrassed and followed Jasper out to my car.

As Jasper pulled into my drive, I grew a little nervous. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said. "I was just thinking."

"Look, I'm sorry about Rosalie," Jasper told me. "She'll come around, she's just nervous about you knowing our secret."

"It's not that," I said. "It's… my parents aren't home. I've never been home alone for a whole week before."

"Oh. Is that why you're nervous?" he asked. I nodded. "Do you want me to stay?"

"Yes please!"

Jasper laughed. "No problem. I can keep an eye out. I'll protect you," he teased.

I blushed again, it was like my cheeks were permanently pink.

"Come on, ma petite colombe, let's get you to bed." Jasper flashed around the car to help me out.

Fifteen minutes later I was comfortably asleep, cuddled in my bed with Jasper Hale… who would have thought?


	6. Something Special

The rest of the week was spent similarly; Jasper would wait at my car after school and we would hang out either at my house or his. Rosalie still wanted nothing to do with me but I had made a new friend in Emmett, who thought my human reactions were hilarious: his favourite thing to do lately was make me blush. He seemed to find it fascinating. Alice was as excitable as always, constantly asking if I wanted to go shopping, telling me she knew exactly what would look good on me as she browsed through stores online. Edward was always polite but distant, preferring to give us our privacy. Carlisle and Esme were just lovely, very welcoming.

Jasper and I were cuddled on the black sofa in his room the night before my parents were due to come home when a knock came at his bedroom door. Before we could get up, Alice had let herself in, flashing to sit on my other side.

"What is it, Alice?" Jasper asked.

"There's going to be a storm on Friday," Alice grinned, practically bouncing on the spot.

"Baseball?"

"Baseball."

Jasper seemed excited, but I was just confused. Who played baseball in the middle of a thunder storm? Vampires, apparently. Jasper must have felt my confusion he smiled and nudged me gently. "We have to play during the storm. You'll see why."

"Wait," I said. " _I'm_ coming?"

"Of course you are silly!" laughed Alice.

"You won't be able to play," Jasper explained. "Again, you'll see why. But we could do with an umpire."

"I don't know anything about baseball."

"That's okay, Esme can help you," Alice chirped. "She normally does it when she's not catching anyway." When I nodded Alice grinned again and skipped out of the room.

As soon as she was gone, I was suddenly flat on my back with Jasper hovering over me. He'd grown a lot more comfortable over the last few days, self-control coming easier to him now that he was getting used to my scent. "So," he started. "I hope the new umpire plays fair tomorrow."

"Oh, really?" I teased back. "Well, I guess that will depend on whether the players do."

"And if I don't?" Jasper ran his cold nose gently up the side of my throat, kissing my jaw.

I giggled. "Then I guess I'll have to disqualify you or something."

"Hmm." His kisses trailed up my cheek, to my eyelid, my forehead and back down the other side. When he reached my collarbone he murmured, "I suppose I'll just have to bribe you then."

"Oh? How do you plan to do that?" My breath hitched as Jasper hand trailed up my side and over my stomach, his kisses leading down my shoulder.

"I was thinking… dinner." Suddenly, I was tossed in the air at a speed I couldn't even comprehend. When I landed I was in Jasper's arms and he was standing up. He dipped me backwards so that my neck was exposed and kissed right over the main artery in my throat. He gently placed me on my feet and took my hand, twirling me slowly before bringing me back against his chest. "Dancing." He kissed my cheek and I smiled. "Whatever you like."

I sighed happily. "I guess I can play fair then. Just for you, of course."

"Of course."

We danced slowly in the middle of the room for a while. There was no music but Jasper hummed slightly under his breath. I didn't recognise the tune so I couldn't tell if it was an actual song or if he was just making it up as he went.

The peaceful moment came to an abrupt end by the shrill ringing of my phone. I sighed, letting go of Jasper's hand to grab my phone from my jacket.

"Hello?"

" _Davina, darling!"_

"Maman! How are you?"

" _I'm just fine, so is your father. We're staying at a hotel in Seattle tonight, I just wanted to let you know that we got back from Paris on an hour ago. I would have called earlier but we wanted to settle in."_

"That's great, Maman, did you have a good time?"

" _C'était merveilleux! J'aime Paris! Je n'ai pas été là depuis si longtemps, c'était agréable de visiter à nouveau."_ **It was wonderful! I love Paris! I haven't been there in so long, it was nice to visit again.**

"Good, I'm glad you had fun."

" _Are you alright, chéri? No trouble while we were gone?"_

I smiled, thinking of what I'd discovered about Jasper and his family. "No, Maman, no trouble."

" _Good. Well, we will see you tomorrow when you get back from school, sweetheart. Goodnight."_

"Goodnight Maman, tell Daddy I love him."

" _We love you too."_

I hung up, putting my phone away and turned back to look at Jasper. He was watching me, a small smile on his face as he listened to me talk to my mom. "What?"

"It's sweet, your relationship with your parents," Jasper said softly. I blushed slightly.

"I love them."

"They love you," he said, moving closer to me. "I don't need to be an empath to know that."

I smiled, hugging him tightly. We remained that way for a few minutes before I sighed, pulling back. "I need to go home, get some sleep before school."

"I'll drive you."

I pulled up behind my father's car in the driveway after school, alone since Jasper had gone hunting due to the sunny weather. When I entered the house, I could smell my father's coq au vin cooking and my stomach growled. I left my bag by the door and grinned as I headed for the kitchen.

"Davina!" my mother squealed when she saw me. She stood from where she had been shoving clothes from her suitcase into the washing machine and practically flew across the kitchen, enveloping me in a tight hug. Just from that one word I could tell her accent had gotten stronger, something I hadn't noticed over the phone. I returned the hug just as tightly before turning to my dad to give him the same treatment.

"I'm glad you guys are back."

"Me too, sweetie," he murmured. "We missed you."

"I missed you too," I said as I finally let him go.

"But not my cooking, apparently." I frowned, turning to my mom. "Half the food I left you hasn't been eaten, have you been eating at all?"

"Oh," I smiled. " I have but I wasn't feeling comfortable being here alone the first few nights so I stayed at Alice's place."

"Alice Cullen?" my dad asked.

"Yeah, well when she mentioned it to her mom that I was here alone and feeling a bit nervous about it, Esme suggested I spend a couple of nights there. Alice slept here for a night too, I hope that's okay." That was actually true, Alice had demanded a girls' night at my place because there were no vampires with super hearing so we could have a bit more privacy.

"That's fine, chéri," my mom said. "I'm actually a little relieved that you weren't alone the whole time. I'll have to thank Doctor Cullen when I go back to work on Wednesday."

"Me too," said Dad, turning back to check on the food.

"Oh!" Mom gasped, turning back to her suitcase. She dug through it, eventually pulling out a small gift bag. "We got you a present." Inside the bag was a small jewellery box and I gasped once I took the lid off. Resting on the small pillow was a beautiful, small black and silver heart locket. "We left it empty. I thought you might want to put a picture of something special in it."

"Thank you!" I jumped up, hugging them both tightly again. My dad took the necklace from me and gently fastened it around my neck.

"You're welcome."

I had just changed into my pyjamas and was about to get into bed when a I felt a soft breeze. I smiled. "Hi."

"Hello," Jasper whispered in my ear. I turned to face him as his arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me to him. He dipped his head and kissed me lovingly. "I missed you today."

"I missed you," I told him. "School sucked. Everyone was gossiping about why you guys missed school and Jess kept bothering me about it even after I told that you went camping."

"Well, it doesn't matter now," Jasper sighed. "She'll never know the truth, so let her gossip."

"I know." I moved back, getting into bed and in a flash he was lying next to me. I giggled. "You're staying, I take it?"

"Would you like me to go?" He sat up as if to leave and I gripped his arm. He chuckled, leaning back against the pillows and tugging me closer. I rested my head on his chest and sighed. I was happy to be here with Jasper, happy that my parents were back, just happy in general.

"What's this?" Jasper gently touched my locket and I smiled.

"My parents brought it back from Paris for me, isn't it beautiful?"

"Not as beautiful as the woman wearing it."

I laughed, "Cheeseball."

Jasper smirked. "It's not cheesy if it's true." I rolled my eyes, snuggling into him. "What are you going to put in it?"

"Something special."


	7. Baseball

By the time Friday rolled around I was very excited to watch Cullen Baseball. There was definitely a storm coming in, much as Alice had predicted, the rain pouring down heavily. I got soaked just running from my car into the school. Alice and Jasper were waiting for me by my locker, my boyfriend rolling his eyes at his sister's exuberance.

"Davina!" My pixie friend bounced forward, gripping me in a tight hug.

"Alice, I can't breathe!" I gasped and she moved back instantly.

"Oops, sorry," she said.

"What's got you so cheery?" I asked, grabbing books out of my locker and slamming it shut. Jasper took my bag from me, kissing my cheek. I smiled and took his hand, Alice following us as we walked.

"I'm excited for tonight!" she squealed. "It's your first game, you'll love it!"

"I'm sure I will, Alice," I laughed. "But right now, we have an English essay to hand in."

"Oh, don't worry," Alice waved it off. "You'll pass."

"Alice, not everyone needs to know every little thing that will happen," Jasper told her.

"Shush, you, and get to class." Alice smiled at us and glided into the classroom. I shook my head at her, laughing slightly, and turned to Jasper who was watching me with a small smile.

"What?"

"You're beautiful," he said. Jasper leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on my lips. I blushed as he pulled away. He tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear and smiled again.

"I'll see you after class."

I watched as he walked back down the hall, smirking slightly to myself as I noticed how great his butt looked in those jeans. When I sat next to Alice she nudged me and winked, _of course she saw that_. I blushed again, slightly embarrassed that my friend had caught me perving on her brother, and turned to face Mr. Mason.

Jasper was waiting for me after French as usual. He walked me to my car but, unlike every other day, he didn't get in. Instead, he kissed me and told me he would pick me up after dinner. So I was nervously about to tell my parents that I was going on a date. They had known about Jasper, of course, but I had been telling them that we were just hanging out at his place. Which was true, for the most part, but they didn't need to know about the romantic walks, or about me sleeping in Jasper's room instead of Alice's when I slept over.

"Dad?"

He looked up from where he was reading the newspaper on the sofa, next to my mother who was watching one of her soaps. "Hmm?"

"I have to tell you guys something."

Mom muted the TV and Dad placed his newspaper on the coffee table, both of them turning to face me. "What's wrong, chéri?"

"Nothing's wrong," I said. "Just… I have a date."

"With Jasper?" Mom asked. I nodded and she smiled. "Good, I like that boy."

"You haven't met him, Maman."

"Well, I like his parents, and if he is anything like them, then I like him."

"When _are_ we going to meet him?" my Dad teased and Mom smacked his arm.

"Richard!"

"What, Dria? I'm only teasing," he defended. Dria was his nickname for my Mom, short for Alexandria.

"Well, leave her alone," she hissed.

"Maman, it's fine," I intervened. "Jasper is actually about to pick me up, so I can guess you guys can meet him now if you want?"

At that moment there was a knock on the front door and I had to smile at Jasper's impeccable timing. "I guess we have no choice," my Dad chuckled.

I answered the door to see Jasper wearing a baseball uniform, looking very handsome in his cap. "Wow," he said. "I was not expecting to see you wearing a Mariners shirt."

"Oh, it's an old one of my dad's," I laughed. "I know nothing about sports, but my dad is a big fan." Jasper laughed and his eyes flicked behind me. I turned to see my mom peeking around the corner from the living room and I giggled at her attempt at being sneaky. "They want to meet you," I told him.

"I'd like to meet them, if that's what you want."

"Sure." I took his hand, pulling him inside, and led him into the living room. "Mom, Dad, this is Jasper. Jasper, my parents."

Mom stood up and offered her hand to the blonde man at my side. "Hi, Jasper. It's great to meet you, I've heard lovely things about you. Your father seems very proud of you, and my daughter is rather smitten."

" _Maman_!" I blushed a bright red and my Dad chuckled.

"I thought you told me to stop teasing her, Dria?" He stood and offered a hand to Jasper as well. "I'm Richard Haywood, this is my wife Alexandria. It's good to meet you."

"You too, sir." Jasper shook my father's hand.

"No need to call me sir, Jasper," Dad smiled.

"It's a habit, sir," Jasper replied, politely. "The way I was raised."

"Where are from, if you don't mind my asking?" Mom asked. "I notice you have an accent."

"Everyone has an accent to you, dear," Dad said, cheekily.

Jasper chuckled, "I'm from Texas, Ma'am. Aunt Esme adopted me and my sister, Rosalie, when our parents died. She and Carlisle have been amazing." That was the official story, anyway. "You have an accent yourself, Mrs Haywood. Where in France are you from?"

"Nice, just on the Riviera. Have you ever been to France?"

"I have, briefly," Jasper said. "We vacationed in Paris once, but it was years ago. I will have to go again." He looked at me as he said this and my stomach fluttered at the thought of a holiday with Jasper.

"We should get going," I said. "Alice will be going mental."

Jasper smirked slightly. "Indeed. It was lovely to meet you both," he directed at my parents. They said their goodbyes as we left.

Parked behind my car was a huge jeep, the tyres looked bigger than my head. Jasper laughed at my wary expression when he held the door open for me. He gently placed his hands on my waist and lifted me into the jeep with no effort whatsoever. Closing the door, he walked around the car at a human pace, hopping into the driver's seat.

"This is Emmett's car, right?" I asked, as he drove.

"Yeah, it's better than your car for where we're going," Jasper told me.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

"Jazz!" He laughed at my impatience and I huffed. After about twenty minutes, Jasper finally pulled off onto well-hidden a side road. The terrain was bumpy and it was all I could do not to bounce everywhere. As Jasper drove through the trees a clearing came into view. I could see Emmett and Edward messing around, throwing a baseball back and forth while attempting to dodge Alice. Once I was out of the car I could see Carlisle setting up bases, much wider than was usual for a baseball diamond. I assumed that had something to do with the extremity of vampire sports – they were much faster therefore needed more space. Rosalie and Esme were sitting on a large rock, the blonde vampire twirling an aluminium baseball bat. I guessed they'd probably break a wooden one with their strength.

"Davina!" Esme smiled sweetly when she noticed us approaching. "You made it." The motherly vampire flitted off the rock, drawing me in for a quick, gentle hug.

"I wouldn't miss it," I said. Rosalie snorted and stalked off towards the others.

"Don't worry about her," Esme murmured. "She'll come around. You're family now." She kissed my cheek and flashed over to Carlisle.

"She's right." I looked at Jasper and he smiled encouragingly.

"It's time!" Everyone turned to Alice who had now taken up the pitcher's position.

"Go kick some butt," I told him and Jasper grinned, kissing me quickly before he and Esme swapped places. We sat together on the rock and I got ready to watch what was probably going to be the most intense game of baseball I had ever seen.

"Oh, my God! That was amazing!"

I was right; the baseball game had been intense. I could barely keep up with what was going on, though Esme helped keep me updated on who was where. After hearing the crash of Emmett and Edward colliding while chasing the ball, I now know while they could only play during a thunder storm.

Alice laughed at my excitement. "I told you, you'd love it."

"Well, not that I was into baseball in the first place, but you guys have definitely ruined normal sports for me."

"Will you come to the next game?" she asked.

"Definitely!" I said. "I mean – if it's okay with you guys?"

"Of course, sweetheart," Carlisle said. "I'm glad you had fun."

"I should get you home," Jasper murmured in my ear. His arm wrapped around my waist as I waved to the others, Emmett making a kissy face at us as we left.

When we pulled up to my house, Jasper cut the engine and reached for my hand. Placing a kiss on the back of it he asked, "Do you want me to stay tonight?"

"Do you need to hunt?"

"I went this morning before school."

"Then yeah, I want you to stay."

"I'll drop the jeep back at home and run back. I'll see you in an hour?" I nodded and he leaned over the console. He kissed me and his other hand reached up to tangle in my hair, gently tugging the tie out and letting my curls spill over my shoulders. My own hands gripped the back of his head, knocking his baseball cap off. After a few moments the kiss slowed down, fading into soft pecks on my lips and across my cheeks. Jasper rested his forehead against mine, my breathing heavy and my eyes closed as I tried to calm myself down.

"I should go inside," I murmured. Jasper nodded and kissed my forehead. I climbed down out of the jeep and as I reached the door the jeep peeled out of my driveway and down the street.

"Hello?" I called as I went inside.

"In here." I followed my mother's voice into the living room and found her still watching soaps, while ironing her work clothes for the next day. "How was it?"

"C'était merveilleux, Maman. Juste merveilleux." **It was wonderful, Mom. Just wonderful.**


	8. An Accident

A few weeks later I was still in my blissful state. I was cuddled up to Jasper in the Cullen's living room, doing my homework while he was watching some football game with Emmett. The others were scattered around the house and I could hear the tinkling of Edward's piano behind us.

I frowned, frustrated with calculus and Edward laughed.

"It's not funny!" I snapped.

"Oh, it is," he disagreed. "You're very creative with your curse words."

"Edward, stop riling her up," Jasper growled. Edward just continued laughing as the sound of "Esme's Favourite" started up again.

"I do love this," Esme sighed as she flitted into the room to stand next to Edward, her hand on his shoulder. She looked at me, "Why don't you take a break, dear? I'll make you a snack."

"Thank you, Esme." I closed my textbook and left it on the coffee table, along with my papers piled neatly on top of it. Following Esme into the spacious kitchen I smiled when she pulled out the ingredients for grilled cheese sandwiches.

"One or two?" Esme asked. Before I could answer, my stomach growled. "Two it is," she laughed.

I blushed, taking a seat at the island. Esme and I talked quietly while she cooked and then while I ate, mostly about how I was doing in school and how my parents were.

"My mother was so excited about going to Paris, she's booked another trip for Easter break," I grinned.

"Are you going with them?" Esme asked, taking my plate.

"Yeah, I think so," I said. "I can wash that, Esme."

"Oh, don't worry about it, sweetheart," she told me. "Are you excited for your trip?"

I smiled. "Yeah, I haven't been since I was a little girl so it should be fun."

"Been where?" Alice asked, skipping into the kitchen.

"Like you don't already know," I teased and she grinned, at my side in an instant. I had gotten used to the Cullens always darting about everywhere at their supernatural speed. "What's the grin for?"

It only got wider. "Shopping!" Alice squealed. "We have to go shopping for you trip!"

"Seriously?" I groaned.

"Hey, it's Paris," she told me, as if I didn't know. "It's practically the capital of fashion!"

"You're not gonna let me out of this one, are you?"

"Nope!"

"Urgh, fine!"

Alice squealed again and I flinched away from her as my eardrums nearly burst.

"Alice, what the hell?" I turned to see Emmett's hulking figure in the doorway and I smiled at him as I moved to get the apple juice out of the fridge that Esme kept fully stocked.

"She's squealing because I'm being forced into a shopping trip again."

Emmett laughed. "Didn't you just go last week?"

"That was before she was going to _Paris_!" Alice was practically bouncing at the thought and I giggled at her hyper-activeness as I filled my glass. Putting the carton back in the fridge, I grabbed my glass but gasped as it slipped straight my fingers. It smashed on the floor and Esme was instantly in front of me mopping up the spilt juice with a towel.

"I'm so sorry, Esme." I crouched to help her.

"It's alright, dear, no harm done."

We were almost finished clearing up when I made the stupid mistake of picking up a piece of the shattered glass without looking properly. I hissed in a sharp breath as the glass pierced my through my skin and my eyes shot to the cut across my palm. I instantly yanked the sleeve of my jumper down to cover it and put pressure on it at the same time but when I glanced up I knew it wasn't helping. Jasper had now appeared in the doorway, a worried look on his face, obviously having smelt the blood, and the other three had moved away from me.

"Carlisle!" Esme called and the blonde doctor was next to Jasper in an instant. Before he could say anything, however, a growled ripped through the air and everyone's eyes snapped to Emmett. His own eyes were completely pitch black, an indication of his thirst and I took a small step back, bumping into the counter.

"Jasper, Alice, get Emmett outside." In the next second, Jasper, Alice and Emmett had disappeared and Carlisle was now in front of me. "Esme, would you mind getting my bag?" She disappeared too and Carlisle gently guided me to sit back at the kitchen table.

"I'm so sorry, Carlisle," I apologised. "I didn't mean to make anyone uncomfortable. I was just trying to help."

"It's not your fault, Davina," he said gently. "Accidents happen."

"But Emmett –"

"Will be fine. One of the others will take him hunting."

"Rosalie has already gone with him," Esme said, coming back with Carlisle's bag of medical things. He thanked her and she smiled at me before leaving the room.

"How is this not affecting you?" I asked Carlisle. He looked so at ease, cleaning the wound on my hand.

"Years of practice," he said with a small smile. "I've never drank human blood, only ever come close to tasting it when I've changed someone."

"It can't be easy, though," I wondered. "Working in a hospital. You must get tempted."

"I used to," Carlisle sighed. "The first few decades of being a doctor were difficult, I'll admit. Being around all the blood was tempting. But my control has only strengthened over the centuries."

"Centuries?"

"I was twenty-three when I was turned into a vampire in 1640."

My jaw dropped. "But that would make you over three hundred years old!"

Carlisle laughed, "You are correct."

"Whoa."

"Whoa indeed."

I giggled a bit as he finished bandaging my hand. "Thank you."

"You are very welcome," he said, packing his equipment away. "I do believe Jasper is waiting outside for you." Carlisle smiled once more before I was left alone in the kitchen. Apart from my injured hand there was no sign of what had just happened.

I sighed and left the kitchen. As I passed through the living room I noticed that my school work was missing from the coffee table and my bag was no longer on the floor next to the sofa. I frowned as I made my way out of the house. Jasper was leaning against my car that was parked in the driveway.

"Hey," I said.

"Hi." He didn't move as I walked towards him. Only when I put my non-injured hand on his arm did he finally move. In a second his arms were around, my face buried in his chest and his chin resting on my head. "I'm so sorry."

"Why are you sorry?" My voice was a bit muffled by his shirt but I knew he would hear me.

"You could have been hurt worse. You could have been _killed_."

"It's fine, Jasper, I'm fine."

My boyfriend sighed and I pulled back slightly so that I could see his face. "Jazz, I'm fine, I promise. Carlisle fixed me right up."

"Well, I'll be keeping you away from Emmett for a while, anyway."

I smiled at his protectiveness. "That's okay, he'll probably want some time to calm down. "We can hang out at my place instead for a few days if you want? My parents won't mind, they adore you."

"I know," he smirked and I rolled my eyes.

"Are you driving me home?"

"Yes Ma'am." His Southern manners were just so adorable.

The entire drive back to my house, Jasper didn't once let go of my hand.

Later that night, I was woken up by hushed voices.

"Jasper, I just want to apologise to her!"

"Emmett, be quiet, you'll wake her."

"I'm sorry, man. I just feel terrible."

I sat up slowly. "Emmett."

Both vampires looked at me from where they were arguing by my window, Jasper inside the room and Emmett sitting on the window sill outside.

"I'm sorry, Darlin', we didn't mean to wake you," Jasper murmured.

"It's okay, Jazz." I pushed my hair out of my face. "You can come in if you want, Emmett."

He and Jasper shared a look before Jasper moved away from the window to sit next to me on the bed. Emmet climbed in through the open window and stood, looking a little awkward.

"I just… I wanted to apologise, Davina."

"Emmett, it's fine. Carlisle bandaged me up and it should heal fine. It's not your fault, it was an accident. I don't know why you're apologising really. I dropped the glass, not you."

"I know, it's just that I saw your face," he said sadly. "I scared you and I didn't mean to, I'm so sorry. I hadn't been hunting in a couple of days and that was stupid of me."

I sighed. "Yes, I was scared Emmett. But everything's okay now, you hunted, nobody tried to eat me. Jasper and Alice got you outside. We're cool."

Emmett chuckled. "You've got a good one here, Jazz. She's a keeper."

"Yes, I do," Jasper grinned at his brother before looking at me. "And yes, she is."

I blushed and they both laughed again before Emmett left. I lay back down and cuddled into Jasper's chest. It was so difficult to get to sleep when he wasn't here now, I was too used to his presence. I was I was drifting back off to sleep, Jasper leaned down and whispered in my ear. I was too far gone to respond but the last thing I heard before falling asleep was Jasper's voice.

"I love you, Davina."


	9. Shopping

When I woke up the next morning Jasper was gone. He had left me a note saying that he was going hunting with Edward and Esme. I smiled at his thoughtfulness to leave me a note and went for a quick shower. I dressed in a light blue dress that reached mid-thigh, black opaque tights and white flats and left my hair down in waves. I had just put away my mascara, eyeliner and light ink lipgloss when the doorbell rang. I hurried downstairs knowing that both of my parents were working.

Yanking open the front door, I was surprised to see Alice waiting on my doorstep.

"Hi, Alice."

"Hey! Good morning, Davina!" she chirped. "Sleep well?"

"Oui, thanks. What's up?" **Yes.**

"We're going shopping!" Alice grinned.

"We are?" I raised an eyebrow and she gave me a pointed look. "I mean, we are!" I cheered and she laughed.

"Come on, come on!" Alice was already making her way to the Volvo parked in my driveway. I knew it was Edward's but I supposed he wouldn't need it since he was hunting. I ducked into the house to grab my bag and brown leather jacket before locking up and joining Alice in the car. As soon as my door closed and I had my seatbelt on, we were speeding through the streets of Forks towards Seattle. Apparently Alice hated shopping in Port Angeles as the store options were "miniscule". Once we reached Northgate Mall Alice quickly pulled into a parking space, completely cutting off a guy in a BMW as he went the wrong way around the lot the park in that space. I laughed as he appeared to grumble to himself before driving off.

Alice dragged me around so many clothes stores that by the time she remembered that I was a human who needed food on a regular basis, my feet were throbbing and my back ached.

As I at my lunch, Alice chattered about anything and everything under the sun. I nearly choked on my fries when she told me a story that ended with tiny Esme kicking Emmett's butt after he broke one of her priceless vases when wrestling with Jasper.

"He's really sorry you know," she said.

"About Esme's vase?" I asked.

"About yesterday."

"Oh." I sipped my strawberry milkshake. "I know. He came by last night."

"I know." Of course she did.

"Can I ask a question?"

"Sure," she said.

"Jasper seemed completely unbothered by it…"

"By Emmett nearly attacking you?"

"By my blood," I clarified.

"Oh, that," Alice nodded. "Yeah, well, Jasper might be the newest to the diet but he's the oldest of us all except Carlisle. He does have control, it's just more difficult from him. Plus, you know, you're his mate. If he loses control around you, he has more to lose. Although, your scent doesn't seem to bother him much anymore."

"How come?"

"Well, like I said, you're his mate," she stated. I nodded and dropped the subject. Yesterday's events were best left in the past.

"Are you ready?" Alice asked.

"Yep." I downed the last of my milkshake and we gathered our mountain of bags, the majority of them Alice's, to head for the car. "Oh, my God, Alice!" I huffed as we packed the car; we had to put some of the bags on the back seat as we couldn't fit them all in the trunk. "Where the hell are you gonna put all of this?"

Alice just giggled and hopped into the driver's seat. I rolled my eyes and got in the car. On the drive back I chose to link my phone to the speakers so that we could listen to my playlist instead of Edward's Debussy CD. We danced in the car, singing along to Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande and Sean Paul amongst others, basically having a mini party in the car. It was a good job Alice was a vampire though; the way she rocked out to Queen, we would have crashed had she been human.

When Alice dropped me at home, I hugged her tightly before I grabbed my bags from the precariously balanced mountain in the back and headed inside. My mother was asleep in front of the TV in the living room, still in her scrubs, and I already knew my father was still at work because his car hadn't been in the driveway when Alice and I pulled up. I dropped my bags upstairs before I went back down to wake my mom up.

Shaking her shoulder gently, I whispered, "Mom… Maman, come on."

She slowly blinked awake. "'Vina?"

"Oui, Maman."

"Quelle heure est-il?" **What time is it?**

"Il est presquehuit heures, Maman. Je viens de revenir." **It's nearly eight o'clock, Mom. I just got back.** Mom sighed tiredly and slowly stood up. "Do you want a coffee?" I asked.

"Non, merci, bébé. I'm just going to go up to bed. It's been a long day." **No, thank you, baby.**

"Okay, Maman. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, sweetheart."

She went up to bed and I put the kettle on to make a cup of hot chocolate before I went to bed too. I was planning on drinking it while I read for a while and waited for Jasper to show. I was snuggled up in bed and halfway through chapter four of _The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones_ when a small breeze blew my curtains and the bed dipped. I finished my sentence, placed my bookmark between the pages and looked up. Jasper was smiling softly at me.

"What?" I asked, a little self-consciously.

Jasper shook his head slightly and leaned back against the pillows, gently tugging me to cuddle into his chest.

"How was hunting?" I asked him and he chuckled a bit.

"It was fun," he told me. "Edward was so busy stalking a mountain lion that he didn't notice I was behind him and I may have stolen his food." I giggled. Talking about Jasper hunting animals for their blood didn't bother me now that I had gotten to know the Cullens. "How was shopping?"

I groaned, "Alice is a nightmare! She dragged me around all day and we ended up having to put bags on the backseat because they wouldn't all fit in the trunk. Most of it was Alice's!"

Jasper grinned. "Yes, that's usually the way a shopping trip with Alice goes."

I smiled and snuggled into him.

"Jasper?" I asked.

"Yes, darlin'?"

"I heard you last night."

"With Emmett? I know."

"No, when I was falling asleep."

"Oh." It was silent for a minute before he said, "I meant it. I do mean it."

I smiled. "I mean it too."

"What?"

"I love you too, Jazz." I stated matter-of-factly.

He nudged me so that I was sitting up, our faces very close. He was smiling widely and I felt my own happiness bubble up inside me, though I knew that a little of it was Jasper projecting his contentment. Jasper leaned down to kiss me.

"Je t'aime, Jasper." **I love you.**

"Je t'aime aussi, ma petite colombe." **I love you too, my little dove.**

"Why do you call me that?" I wondered.

"Because," Jasper said, stroking my hair. "Doves have multiple meanings like love, devotion, grace, purity and hopefulness. You, Davina, are pure innocence and grace to me. You give me hope and I absolutely adore you."

I blushed a bright red as he watched my face and I rested back against him and fell into content dreams of Jasper.


	10. Birthday

**Three Months Later.**

I frowned into my pillow as I heard my bedroom door creak open. I didn't panic as I knew exactly who it was: my mother. I didn't have to worry about her discovering Jasper as I knew he had gone home at some point during the night to change his clothes and it was likely that Alice had foreseen my mother's actions and warned him. I felt my mattress dip slightly and my mother's hand gently tucked a stray hair behind my ear.

"Joyeux anniversaire ma chérie," she whispered. **Happy Birthday my darling.**

"Merci Maman," I murmured back, finally opening my eyes. My mother's sweet face was the first thing I saw, her gentle smile instantly brightening my mood; I had never been one for mornings. My mom always woke me up on my birthday so that we could spend the first hour few minutes of it together. She always came in at 5:17am as that was the time I was born and she always woke me by whispering the same words.

I moved so that there was room for two and cuddled into my mom once she was under the covers.

"What are your plans today?" she asked.

"School." I huffed at the thought of having to sit through classes on my birthday, but at least it would be the last day of classes for a couple of weeks. Ah, the bonus of having a December birthday.

"At least you will see your friends." That was true. "And is Jasper planning anything special?"

I blushed. "I don't know. He said to call him so that he can pick me up from the restaurant." My parents took me out to dinner for every birthday to a restaurant of my choosing. This year I had chosen a lovely Italian place in Port Angeles. "I'm going to the Cullens for an hour or so after school as well, if that's okay? Jazz said that Carlisle and Esme wanted to see me to wish me a happy birthday."

"That's perfectly fine, darling."

Mom stroked my hair gently and my I slowly started to fall back to sleep. When my alarm woke me up later on, Jasper had taken up my mother's position; my head resting on his chest and his fingers running gently through my curls.

"Good morning, birthday girl." My heart warmed at the sound of his Southern drawl.

"Good morning," I said softly. "Did you have a good night?"

"I did," he said. "Your mother left you a note."

Sitting up, I read it quickly. "She has to work but she'll be back by the time I get home from your place later." I leaned forward to kiss Jasper's cheek. "I'm going to get ready."

After a quick shower, I pulled on a long burgundy jumper over black leggings, and my dark brown, suede, heeled boots that reached my knee. I pulled my curls into a long ponytail and did my usual eyeliner and mascara, adding a dark pink lipstick that I had bought on my shopping trip with Alice all those weeks ago. I walked back to my room to find that Jasper had grabbed my bag for me and we headed downstairs. My father was already at work by this time, as he always was, so we didn't have to worry about anyone catching Jasper. I grabbed my coat and my beige infinity scarf on the wat out the door.

Pulling up to school, I could see the rest of the Cullens gathered around Edward's Volvo and it looked like Emmett was holding Alice's arm to prevent her from bounding over. She squealed as we reached them and when Emmett finally let her go she jumped forward, wrapping her arms around me.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

I laughed, "Thanks Alice."

She pulled back and dug into her bag. "Here, this is for you. I've already seen you open it and you'll love it, I promise."

"Well, how could I not when it's from you," I joked and she grinned.

"Open it! Open it!"

I laughed at Alice's behaviour; she was like a kid in a sweet shop. Tugging at the silver ribbon, I gently tore the white paper away from what was inside and gasped at the gift.

"Alice, it's stunning!" Resting inside the paper was a charm bracelet that fastened with a bar and toggle clasp. It already had a charm on it, a little diamante high-heeled shoe. "Thank you!" I hugged her tightly after she fastened the bracelet around my right wrist.

"Happy birthday, Davina," Edward said as he stepped forward. He held out a small parcel wrapped in lilac paper with the same silver ribbon as Alice's.

"Thank you, Edward. You didn't have to get me anything."

"I wanted to," he told me. "Besides, you're family now and we rarely get to celebrate birthdays in our family."

"Thank you," I said again as I took the present. Peeling away the paper, I was presented with a small box. Curiously, I opened it and smiled. "I'm sensing a theme." Inside the box was a small charm for my bracelet, a musical note this time, a delicate silver treble clef. "It's lovely, Edward." I clipped it next to Alice's charm.

"Mine next!" Emmett boomed and I blushed as he made a big deal of how he had chosen it and wrapped it himself, this time in blue paper. Emmett had gotten me a small silver teddy bear charm and I laughed as I clipped it on the other side of the shoe, remembering when Emmett had told me the story of how he turned and I'd compared him to a teddy bear.

It was unexpected when Rosalie held out a small gift as she had taken to ignoring my presence whenever I was around.

"Here," she said. "Happy birthday."

"Thank you," I said. "You really didn't have to. I know you don't like me much."

"You're not that bad, I guess," Rosalie shrugged. I nodded, tugging off the pink paper and I smiled at the diamante capital D charm.

"I love it," I told her and she nodded before dragging Emmett off to class. I smiled, clipping her charm next to Emmett's. Alice and Edward said their goodbyes, the former telling me she would meet me in English.

"Your siblings are very sweet," I said to Jasper as he walked me to my locker.

"Well, I hope you don't think I forgot to get you anything," he said.

"Jazz, you don't have to. You've already planned something for later."

"Yes, but that's later." Jasper gently tugged me to the side, away from the crowd of students. He reached into his schoolbag and pulled out a small parcel that matched the others, in dark green paper and a silver ribbon. "Happy birthday."

Smiling, I opened the package to find a small dove charm. "It's beautiful Jasper, I love it. Thank you."

"You're very welcome." Jasper took the charm and clipped it on the other side of Edward's.

"Whose idea was the bracelet?" I asked as we started walking again.

"Rosalie's, believe it or not. I know," he added at the look on my face. "We were all surprised too. _Whoa_!" We stopped at my locker and stared at the mass of streamers and birthday banners that were strung across the door.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" A cheer came from behind me and I turned to see Jess, Angela, Mike and Eric.

"Do you like it?" Angela asked.

"It's awesome! Thanks, you guys."

"What a work of birthday art," Mike sighed and shook his head as though it had taken a lot of work. I knew for a fact that it was mostly the girls who had done it.

"You didn't do any work!" Jess snapped at him and he backed away, waving at me before running off to class with Eric, who was laughing at him. "Anyway," she said. "Happy birthday, D."

"Thanks, Jess." I hugged my friends before they also left for class. I turned to Jasper who was staring at my locker with a raised eyebrow.

"You realise that you're never going to get into that."

I entered my combination and yanked some ribbons out of the way, grinning at Jasper's face. "It's tradition."

"Happy birthday, Sweetheart!" Esme's hug was warm, despite her lower body temperature, and she kissed my cheek as she pulled back.

"Thanks Esme," I smiled shyly.

"Happy birthday, Davina," Carlisle said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders in a gentle hug. "We got you a little something."

I had accepted by now that there was no use in objecting to gifts from the Cullens. Esme handed me a gift in sparkling silver paper and a matching ribbon. I opened it to reveal an Eiffel Tower charm. "It's very pretty, thank you."

"We also got you this." Carlisle revealed a small jewellery box, the same size as the others but this one wasn't wrapped. I opened it, curiosity flowing through me and I knew it wasn't all mine: Jasper was projecting his own curiosity and I realised that he didn't know that his parents had gotten me two things. I opened the box to find a small key. "It's a key to the house," Carlisle told me.

"Since you are a part of this family now," Esme continued for him. "And you basically live here half of the time anyway." I blushed. "We thought you should be able to come and go as you please, without having to knock."

"You guys…" My voice trailed off as my eyes teared up and lunged forward, gripping the two vampires in a joint hug. "This is amazing!" They laughed, hugging me back.

"We'll leave you to it, then," Carlisle said. "We just wanted to wish you a happy birthday."

"Enjoy your dinner with your parents," Esme added as they left.

I turned to Jasper, who was watching me with an affectionate look. "What?"

"They love you almost as much as I do," he said and my cheeks flamed again. What was with these people and making me blush?

"I love you too," I told him and I was pleased when he gave a small grin.

"Want me to drive you home?" he asked.

"No, it's okay," I said. "You're picking me up from Port Angeles, right?"

He nodded. "Call me when you're ready."

"Won't Alice just tell you when to leave?" I teased and I giggled when he looked a little bashful.

"Yeah, probably."

"I'll see you later." I kissed him quickly and headed out to my car.

"I never want to see another piece of chocolate cake again," my father groaned as we left La Bella Italia. My mom and I giggled at his sickly expression.

"Should I drive us home, dear?" Mom asked. My Dad just handed over his car keys without a word and I laughed.

"Dad, are you okay?" He just groaned again and rubbed his stomach. "Maybe you shouldn't have ordered a third piece of cake."

"You think?" he sassed and I laughed again, a deeper one joining mine. I turned to see Jasper leaning against Carlisle's Mercedes, a smirk on his face as he listened to my father complain about his stomach ache.

"Hi Jasper," my Mom greeted sweetly.

"Hello Alexandria," Jasper said politely. "Lovely to see you again, you look wonderful this evening."

"Oh, thank you," she smiled, flattered. "'Vina, you've got yourself a gentlemen."

"I agree," Dad said as Jasper held the passenger door of my father's car open for him. "Thanks Jasper."

"Feel better, Richard."

My parents drove away, after my Mom kissed my cheek and told me to have a good night, and I smiled as Jasper helped me into the car. "So, Mr. Whitlock, where are you taking me?"

"That, my dear, is a surprise," Jasper teased and I crinkled my nose.

"I hate surprises," I sighed. "I'm always too impatient to wait."

Jasper chuckled. "You'll like this one," he promised.

Finally, after nearly a half an hour drive, I saw the welcoming sign for Forks.

"We're going home?" I asked.

"Not quite."

I looked around as, eventually, Jasper parked in a small clearing near the woods.

"Come on," he said but, before I could even reach for the handle, Jasper had sped around the car and was opening the door for me.

"Thank you," I said, as he closed it behind me.

Jasper took my hand and led me through the trees. "Close your eyes."

"Really?"

"I won't let you fall."

I closed my eyes and felt him gently tug me forward, careful not to let me trip in the black wedges that I had worn to dinner, with the long-sleeved, mid-thigh length, dark purple dress that was a birthday gift from my mother. My makeup was the same as earlier only fresh and my curls were left to hang freely.

"You can open your eyes now."

I did and immediately gasped at the sight before me. Jasper had spread a picnic blanket out on the grass, with a small radio and a picnic basket. Fairy lights were strung throughout the branches of the surrounding trees with a few lanterns here and there. The whole place looked magical.

"Happy birthday," Jasper said. "I know I gave you the charm bracelet but I wanted to do something special for you."

"Jasper…" I whispered. "This is definitely special. I love it."

"I love _you_."

I smiled as we sat on the blanket and Jasper reached for the picnic basket. He pulled out a small bottle of champagne and a single champagne flute. "I wish that I could drink this with you."

"I don't mind," I said. "But let's not get me drunk, yeah?"

He chuckled. "Well, I did buy the small bottle for that reason. I know you don't drink often."

"In the eyes of the law, I don't drink at all," I teased. "I am underage, after all."

"I won't tell if you won't." Jasper winked and elegantly poured me a glass of the bubbly drink. As I sipped it, he reached over to turn the radio on, then stood and held out a hand.

"Dance with me?"

I placed my glass next to the basket so that it wouldn't get knocked over and stood, taking his hand. "Fair warning: I can't dance very well."

"Don't worry," Jasper said. "I can. Besides, I'm not expecting you to do any professional ballroom dancing or anything," he joked and I giggled.

"I would be so amazed at myself if I could do that now, after all the years of two left feet."

We swayed slowly to the soft music, Jasper twirling me out and back into his chest every so often. When the song changed, Jasper began singing quietly in my ear.

" _You're just too good to be true_

 _Can't take my eyes off of you_

 _You'd be like Heaven to touch_

 _I wanna hold you so much_

 _At long last love has arrived_

 _And I thank God I'm alive_

 _You're just too good to be true_

 _Can't take my eyes off you_

 _Pardon the way that I stare_

 _There's nothing else to compare_

 _The sight of you leaves me weak_

 _There are no words left to speak_

 _But if you feel like I feel_

 _Please let me know that it's real_

 _You're just too good to be true_

 _Can't take my eyes off you_

 _I love you, baby_

 _And if it's quite alright_

 _I need you, baby_

 _To warm a lonely night_

 _I love you, baby_

 _Trust in me when I say:_

 _Oh, pretty baby_

 _Don't bring me down, I pray_

 _Oh, pretty baby, now that I found you, stay_

 _And let me love you, baby_

 _Let me love you_."

Jasper spun me out once more and pulled me back towards him, only to catch my lips in a searing kiss.

"I love you Jasper. So much."

"As I love you, my dove."

"This has been the best birthday I've ever had."

"I'm glad," he said. "Just you wait until the next one."


	11. Paris

"So, what do you think about going on vacation for Christmas?"

"Really?" I asked.

My dad nodded. "Yeah, well your mom enjoyed our trip to Paris so much that I thought we could all go for Christmas. It's supposed to be beautiful around the holidays."

"Dad, I would _love_ to go to Paris for Christmas!" I squealed happily.

He laughed and messed up my hair. "Well, good. You better get packing then."

"What?"

"Well, it is only a week until Christmas. Our flight is in tomorrow."

" _Tomorrow_?" I gasped. Have you told mom yet?"

"Nope," Dad said casually. "I called the hospital though. Doctor Cullen is in on it, he has arranged for her to have to time off. I'm keeping it a surprise for her."

I grinned, "She'll love it."

"Glad you think so," he smiled. "Now, don't you have to be somewhere?"

"Yep!" I stood from where I had been sitting at the kitchen table and kissed my dad's cheek as I passed him. "See you later!"

**TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT**

"I am _so_ jealous!" Jessica whined. "I can't believe your dad sprung a surprise trip to Paris on you!"

It was lunch and I was sitting outside with Jess and Angela. It was cold but sunny today, meaning the Cullens weren't in school and the three of us were taking any chance to get some sun before the predicted snowfall. It was the last day of school before the Christmas holiday and I was very excited for the next day.

"I know!" I grinned. "I can't believe it either."

"You're so lucky," Angela sighed. "I'd love to go to Paris. Or anywhere really. I've never gone further than Seattle."

"Really?" I asked. Angela nodded. "Well, I guess I'll just have to bring you back something awesome then."

"I've never been anywhere, either!" Jess groaned. "Well, apart from that stupid family trip to Daytona Beach last summer. But it was not as glamourous as it's made out to be, unless you like tailgates and idiots driving up the beach. My mom was so freaked out she would barely let me leave the hotel room."

"That sucks," I said sympathetically. "Two awesome presents it is!" They laughed until Angela shivered when a breeze blew past. "Maybe we should go back inside now. The bell will go soon anyway." Just as I said that, the shrill scream of the afternoon bell sounded and we all groaned.

"Damn, I've got Calculus now!" Jess huffed. "Why do we even need that stuff?"

""You never know, Jess, one day you might want to be an accountant," I joked.

"Well, it's easy for you to joke about," she said. "You have Jasper to help you with your homework."

"My relationship with Jasper is not about _homework_ ," I laughed.

"I know that. "I just wish I had someone to help me with mine," she frowned. "Nobody here is interested in me."

I raised an eyebrow, sharing a look with Angela. We both knew the Mike Newton had a huge crush on Jessica. Not that she ever noticed since she was always too busy staring at Edward, even after he'd rejected her. Twice. I didn't blame him though; I don't think Jess would take the existence of vampires particularly well.

"You'll find someone, Jess," I told her.

She just shrugged and headed off to class, leaving Angela and I to follow quietly.

**TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT**

Later that night I was packing my suitcase for the trip to Paris. There was a sudden breeze that blew my curtains slightly and I smiled, feeling cold hands resting gently on my waist. I turned, smiling at Jasper as he smirked down at me.

"Good evening, beautiful."

"Hi, Jazz," I blushed. He raised his left hand to rub his thumb over my cheek, admiring the pink flush there.

"Need some help?" he asked, nodding towards the pile of clothes on my bed.

"That's okay," I said. "I just have to fold them before I put them in the case. Shouldn't take too long." I blinked and, while Jasper appeared not to have moved an inch, I knew better once I turned back around. My suitcase was now fully packed and leaning against the wall near the door, a neat pile of folded clothes and even my toiletries, makeup and hair brush resting inside.

"You're right," Jasper grinned. "Not long at all."

I laughed and rolled my eyes. "That's cheating."

"No," he said. "I just used my advantages."

"Cheater," I joked and he snorted, flashing to the bed and laying down after taking his shoes off. I was already in my pyjamas so I just climbed in beside him. I snuggled up to Jasper, his arms coming around me as they usually did. "How was your day?"

"It was fine. I went for a quick hunt with Emmett this morning then watched Alice and Edward play chess. It's quite entertaining, actually. Alice can always see Edward's next move, of course, but he can read her move as soon as she thinks it."

"I know," I told him. "I've seen them play chess, it's kind of boring. They just sort of stare at each other, like they're playing in their heads until one of them moves the winning piece." It was usually Alice and I rolled my eyes slightly at how competitive the Cullen 'kids' were. "I take it Alice had a vision about Paris?"

Jasper chuckled. "Oh, she told me about three weeks ago. I just didn't say anything because I thought you'd like to hear about it from your father."

"Why am I not surprised?" I asked, amused. It was quiet for a few minutes, Jasper contently playing with my long hair as I just cuddled into his chest. "I wish you were coming."

"To Paris?"

"Well, it is the city of love, after all. Besides, it will be weird being away from you."

"I know," Jasper agreed. "Bu we'll be fine."

"I know," I repeated. "It'll just be strange, not having you around every night. I've gotten used to sleeping next to you now."

"You can call me whenever you want, you know?" I could tell form his tone that he was amused.

"Well, maybe I'll just call Rosalie instead…" I teased.

Jasper mock gasped and immediately his fingers moved to my sides, tickling me. I squealed, trying to stay quiet so as not to alert my parents, but it was difficult to breathe because I was laughing so hard. "S-stop! Jazz, please!"

"Say you'll call me!"

I could on nod my head; I was laughing so hard that my laughs had actually become silent gasps. Finally, the tickle torture stopped and I managed to catch my breath.

"You are so dead."

"For over a century now, darlin'."

**TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT**

"You've got your passport, sweetheart?" Dad checked.

"Yep, and my boarding pass is tucked into it," I assured him.

"Excellent." I hauled my suitcase out to the car where my dad was already shoving Mom's carry-on into the trunk. "I have no idea why your mother needs to take so much stuff. I mean, you only have one suitcase, right?"

"And my backpack," I said.

"What?"

"It's just got stuff to do on the plane. It's a ten hour flight, Dad."

"Right, okay," he sighed. "I didn't think about that."

I laughed. "I packed a book for you. The one you bought last week."

"Oh, thank you."

My mom finally came out of the house. "Right, I think that's everything. Are you ready, Davina?"

"Oui, Maman." **Yes, Mom.**

"Good, let's get going then." She practically skipped to car and I giggled at my dad's expression. He raised an eyebrow and smirked at her as she flounced into her seat.

"Think she's excited?" I joked.

"Nah," he said sarcastically. "She hates Paris."

I snorted and hopped in the back seat while my dad closed the trunk and climbed in the driver's seat.

We were fifteen minutes away from Tacoma International Airport when it happened. One minute my mother was babbling excitedly about all the things she wanted to show me once we got to France and the next there was a blinding pain shooting up my right side. My ears were ringing and I couldn't sit up properly. When I finally managed to open my eyes, I realised that I was upside down. I groaned. Everything hurt. My head throbbed. I couldn't see straight. I drowsily looked towards my parents. My mother's face was covered in blood and I couldn't see my father. I tried to leaned forward but the seatbelt stopped me, along with the pain in my side. I eventually moved my left arm enough to grip my mother's shoulder. She didn't stir when I shook her.

"Mom?" Nothing.

"Maman? Est ce que ç ava?" **Are you okay?**

She still didn't respond.

I slowly pulled my hand back, reaching for the seatbelt that was keeping me in place. I unclicked it, falling heavily onto the roof of the car so that I was now the right way up. I gasped loudly at the sharpness the shot through my side and up my back. I couldn't move my legs properly so I shuffled on my stomach over to my mother. It was then that I realised three things.

As semi had hit our car.

My mother was dead.

My father had flown through the windscreen and was lying in the road. His eyes were open. He was dead too.

Someone was screaming and I suddenly realised that it was me. Just before everything went black, I heard the different sound of sirens.

All I could think of was that I wanted Jasper.


	12. Afterlife

**So due to the huge amount of messages I've received after the last chapter, I decided to give you guys the next update early. It's only short, but enjoy!**

 **Jasper**

I was sitting in my study, typing an email to Peter. I knew he and Charlotte were hoping for a visit soon. Peter had sent an email about Davina; he didn't know anything in particular, just that I had met someone. His powers were not as specific as Alice's; in Peter's own words he "just knows shit". I had just clicked 'send' when I heard a gasp come from downstairs. Frowning, I sped down, stopping in the living room doorway.

Alice was sitting on the loveseat, her sketchpad of clothing designs on her lap. Her eyes were wide and I could feel her emotions going haywire: shock, sadness and _fear_. What was she so afraid of? From the way she was staring off I could tell she was having a vision: an unusually long one.

"Alice?" I asked.

Alice's topaz eyes flashed to mine, a second gasp ripping from her throat. I realised she was sobbing, though we couldn't actually cry tears. "Alice, what's wrong?"

"Oh, Jasper!" she cried. "I just saw Davina."

I flitted in front of her and knelt to take her hand. "What did you see?"

"You have to call Carlisle! Now! You have to go!"

"Alice! What did you see?"

"What's going on?" I looked up to see Esme and Edward had come in, hearing our distress. Edward's face became an instant mask of concern.

"I'll call Carlisle," he said and reached for his phone.

"Why?" Esme asked. "What's happened?"

"It's Davina," Alice wept. "They were driving to the airport and a semi hit the car!"

As a vampire, I didn't actually need to breathe. However, in that moment I felt all of the air rush out of my lungs and it _hurt_.

"What?" I whispered.

"Jasper, you have to go," Edward told me. "Carlisle is on his way to Seattle now, he's running. You can meet him there, go!"

In an instant, I was out of the house and running out of Forks. It was a nearly four hour drive from Forks to Tacoma International, yet with my supernatural speed it didn't take me long at all to get there. When I reached the scene of the accident I stopped.

 _It was brutal._

The semi had smashed into the driver's side of the car and the truck driver appeared to have died on impact. There were two ambulances on the scene and I could see three paramedics leaning over a body in the road, a man from the looks of it. Two more paramedics were surrounding the passenger side of the Haywood's car; they couldn't reach the driver's side due to the truck still half imbedded into the door.

"Son."

I turned to see Carlisle, carrying his medical bag. "Carlisle…"

"I know."

Carlisle led me over to the accident, immediately talking to one of the officers that were keeping away nosey spectators. "Excuse me, officer. I'm a doctor, I was wondering if I may help. My son knows the family." It took a minute but the officer eventually agreed to let us through. We hurried over to the Haywood car and I could finally see that the body in the road was Richard Haywood, Davina's father. Sadly, I knew he was already gone.

In the front passenger seat was Alexandria. I heard the paramedic in front of her call time of death and I felt that I would cry, had I been able to. I turned my attention to Davina. Carlisle had managed to crouch through the broken windscreen to reach her. She wasn't fastened into the driver's seat, meaning she had either been thrown or had managed to crawl over.

I watched, terrified, as Carlisle hurriedly started to administer CPR.

"Jasper." My eyes connected with my father's and I didn't need to be an empath to know what he was feeling. "Jasper, she's breathing, son, barely, but…"

"But?"

"She's broken part of her spine. If she lives, she might never walk again."

My shoulders slumped and Carlisle's eyes flitted around the humans surrounding us. I wasn't even focused on the scent of blood in the air. All I could think about was Davina.

"Jasper, you need to make a decision. She might not make it to the hospital."

Could I make this decision? What if I made the decision for Davina to be turned and she hated me for it? I couldn't cope knowing that Davina hated me for eternity.

But I knew I definitely wouldn't survive if Davina died now.

"Do it."

**TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT**

 **Davina**

Fire.

My entire body was burning. I could hear someone screaming. It sounded like they were in as much as I was. Or was it my screams I could hear?

I wanted to thrash around, lash out, relieve the aches in any way I could. But I couldn't move. I felt trapped, in the fire.

Why was I burning?

I tried to scream again but no sound came out. My chest felt tight, I couldn't breathe and I felt like my heart might hammer out of my chest any second.

Then it stopped.

I lay there, silent, not even breathing. I could hear car engines and horns beeping, the faint sound of a radio. I had no idea where I was but I could sense someone near me.

"Davina?"

My eyes shot open and I sat up, faster than I expected. I caught sight of who was watching over me.

"Jasper."

My eyes widened and my hand flashed to my throat. The fire was still there.

"Davina?" I looked back to Jasper. "Are you… alright?"

"You look different."

"You can see my scars now." He was right. I could see the faint traces of bite marks and other remnants of his history littered across his skin. He was beautiful. "You look different too."

"What happened?" I frowned. Jasper slowly walked over to sit next to me and it was then that I realised I was sitting on the bed in his room.

"Davina, what's the last thing you remember?"

"I was in the car. We were going to the airport." Then I gasped, "My parents!"

"Davina, I'm so sorry."

I wanted to cry but when I reached up to wipe away the tears I realised they weren't there. "What…?"

"I'm so sorry," Jasper repeated.

"What happened?" I asked again.

"A truck hit your father's car. He and your mother died on impact."

"And me?"

"Davina…"

"Jasper," I said sternly.

He looked at me sadly. "You're a vampire."

"Oh."

"I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry?"

"I made the decision for you to be turned."

My eyebrows raised. "Who…?"

"Carlisle."

"Oh, good." Jasper frowned and I explained, "I didn't want you to be uncomfortable."

"You're not angry?"

"Of course not," I frowned.

Jasper smiled and I had to blink at how much more stunning it was now that I had supernatural vision. I thought he was gorgeous before but, _whoa_.

"Jasper?"

"Yes, darlin'?"

"My throat hurts. I thought vampires couldn't get ill."

Jasper chuckled. "You're thirsty, darlin'. Come on." He stood and held a hand out. I placed my hand in his, standing up, and my eyes widened. Jasper chuckled again. "We're the same temperature now, petite colombe."

"It's strange," I said. "But a good strange." I smiled and Jasper copied me.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered. Jasper leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. I eagerly kissed him back, my hands trailing up to his soft blonde curls. Our kiss was broken when the burning in my throat became too much.

Jasper frowned when I pulled back, but his expression became one of realisation when I raised a hand to my throat.

"Let's go hunting."


	13. First Hunt and Family Meeting

**I just can't seem to help myself today. Another chapter guys…**

The rustling of leaves in the slight breeze. The chirp of a bird flying overhead. The distant noise of traffic. The growl of a mountain lion… or was it a bear? I could hear all of this as I stood in the forest with Jasper behind me.

"Focus," his voice softly reminded me. "What can you hear? What can you smell?"

"A mountain lion, maybe?"

"Can you tell where it is? How far away?"

"Not far," I said. "To the… west?"

Jasper came up behind me, his hands resting on my waist as he whispered in my ear, "Well, what are you waiting for?"

I was off in an instant, darting through the trees, the wind flinging my hair back. I hadn't realised until we had left the house, but Alice had changed me into a pretty summer dress and brushed my hair out while I had been turning. I followed the sounds of the mountain lion's growls, the scent of its blood pumping through its veins. I eventually came to a stop when I saw it. It was crouched over a carcass, a doe it seemed. I crouched, and leapt, tackling the mountain lion off of the deer and sinking my teeth into its jugular. The warm blood went happily down my throat and, after a minute or so, I felt the animal stop struggling to take a swipe at me. I pulled back, dropping the lion and stood, panting more from the adrenaline than the need to catch my breath. It was then that I remembered I had left Jasper. I didn't need to worry, however, as when I turned, I saw him.

Jasper was leaning against a tree, his arms folded and a grin in his face. If I was still human I would have blushed.

"What?" I asked.

He smirked. "That was very sexy."

I laughed. "Me killing an animal with my bare hands was _sexy_?"

Jasper pushed off the tree and slowly walked towards me. "Very much so." His hands trailed up my arms, wrapping around my back, his fingers tickling my skin. Apparently, the lion had managed one good swipe during our tumble and managed to rip the back of my dress. "I'll have to tell Emmett that he lost his bet against Edward."

"They bet on me?"

"Emmett bet you would take down a bear first," he explained. "Edward bet it would be a mountain lion. Alice told Emmett he would lose, but he bet anyway."

"Alice…" I trailed off. Everything suddenly came rushing back. "Did Alice see what happened?"

"Yes," Jasper sighed. "Alice told us what she saw and Carlisle and I went to the scene of the accident as fast as we could. Your… Your parents had already passed when we got there. You weren't breathing until Carlisle administered CPR, and even then only just. During the crash you had broken a vertebrae or something, Carlisle wasn't quite sure without any scans but it was clear that at least one of your legs would never work properly again. If you had lived you would have been unable to walk." Jasper looked so sorrowful. "He told me that it was my decision whether to turn you or not, but that you would likely not make it to the hospital."

I nodded slowly. "So what happens now?"

"We'll go back," he told me. "We'll talk to Carlisle. He and I have already discussed a few ideas but it's your choice, darlin'."

I nodded again and Jasper tugged my hand gently. We took off running back to the house. We had just jumped the river when something smashed into me from the left. I hit the ground and lashed out, rolling and pinning the other vampire to the grass.

Emmett grinned up at me. "Finally! A decent wrestling partner," he boomed. I shook my head and helped him up. Emmett opened his mouth to say something else when he, too, was ambushed from behind.

My eyes were able to keep up this time, as I watched Emmett and Jasper wrestle. I could hear Jasper's teasing voice, "Decent wrestling partner? I'll show you decent!" Jasper shoved Emmett on the ground and practically rubbed his brother's face in the dirt. I laughed and the sound was slightly different than I remembered. Another giggle joined mine and I turned to see Alice standing at my side.

"You look marvellous!" she squealed. "But we must get you out of this dress, now." She took my hand, dragging me inside and we flashed up the stairs to Alice's room. "Here." She shoved a dress bag at me and I only rolled my eyes, knowing that Alice would have her own way and I would be wearing this dress whether I wanted to or not. I quickly stripped, not bothering to be ashamed in front of Alice after the amount of 'dress-up' she had forced on me. I had a short shower in Alice's ensuite and pulled on the outfit: a simple grey dress with long sleeves, the hem reaching my knees. It was comfortable, as were the matching silver flats. I left the bathroom and Alice grinned, sitting me in front of the mirror. She pulled my hair into a simple waterfall braid and swiped on some eyeliner and mascara. "Gorgeous!" she declared. She finally let me look in the mirror and I gasped.

"Alice, my eyes!"

"I know," she soothed. "But it isn't for long. They'll start to lighten soon, I promise."

"She's right." I looked to the doorway. Esme smiled kindly at me and my anxiousness started to ease. "It won't take long, and we'll all help you, sweetheart."

"Thank you, Esme," I murmured.

"Are you ready to come downstairs?" she asked. "Carlisle wanted to talk to you about something."

I nodded and followed Esme and Alice downstairs. The whole family was sitting around the dining room table and I sat next to Jasper, who took my hand gently in his.

"Davina," Carlisle said from the head of the table. "First of all, you look stunning." I smiled slightly in thanks. "And I'm very sorry about your parents."

"Thank you. I was actually wondering what will happen now?" I asked.

"Well," he started. "Esme and I have organised a meeting with the funeral director. You can discuss arrangements with him, or if you'd like, we don't mind doing that for you. We will cover the cost either way, of course."

"I couldn't ask you to do that," I whispered, but he was having none of it.

"Davina, I insist. Also, in regards to your future… Well, as you are now a vampire I expect you will want to stay with us?"

"Please," I said. "If none of you mind."

"Of course we don't mind, silly!" Rosalie piped up. "We all love you, you're family."

I smiled again, "Thank you."

"Jasper has connections," Carlisle continued. "Alice has seen now complications with your control if we stay so if you want to stay in Forks then Jasper can organise for the paperwork to be drawn up for us to 'adopt' you, so to speak."

"So the humans don't question why you haven't gone to live with family," told Rose.

"I'd like that," I nodded. "Thank you so much. All of you."

"You are very welcome," smiled Esme

"When is the meeting? With the funeral director?" I asked.

"The day after tomorrow," Carlisle said. "If you don't feel up to it, Esme and I don't mind talking to him for you. You can, of course, tell us your wishes and we will relay them to Mr. Pearson, and Mr. Webber if you would like the pastor to oversee the service?"

"Yes please," I murmured. "I don't know if I can do it."

"That's perfectly alright, darlin'," Jasper said from beside me.

"Jasper is right," Carlisle agreed. "Now, I believe that is all for now. If you would like to talk about anything later, Davina, you are more than welcome to ask."

"Thank you, Carlisle."

He nodded and, with that, the family meeting broke up and everyone went their own way. Jasper and I headed up to his room.

"Jasper?" I asked as we sat on the bed.

"Yes, ma petite colombe?" **My little dove**.

"Will we have to find somewhere else to live?"

Jasper tugged me so that I was laid against his chest, like when I would go to bed as a human. "No, darlin'. If you want to stay in Forks, we can."

"I meant… a new house."

"Oh, well," he started. "I was thinking, if it is alright with you, that you could move in here with me?"

I sat up so that I was leaning on one arm, partially hovering over him. "Really?"

"I'd love it if you did," Jasper said. "No pressure though, if you'd like your own room then there is always the guest room. I'm sure Esme won't mind if you want to decora-"

I cut him off, kissing him hard. His hand that wasn't around my waist raised to tangle in my hair as mine rested on his chest. "I would love to move in here with you, Jasper," I told him once we pulled apart.

Jasper grinned and kissed me again. As we lay there, relaxing in each other's presence and listening to the tinkling of Edward's piano downstairs, I knew that I would be okay. I had Jasper, and I had the rest of the Cullens. I was loved. I was safe. The family would help me with controlling my thirst and adapting.

Maybe being a vampire wouldn't be so bad after all.


	14. Funeral

It was time.

My parents' funeral was finally happening.

Carlisle and Esme had helped me with planning the arrangements, minimising my time spent around Mr. Pearson and Pastor Webber. Having only been a vampire for a fortnight, Jasper and Carlisle had both told me that I was doing amazingly at controlling my thirst. Granted, I had only been around two humans since my transformation, and then I was still surrounded by the family. I dreaded to think what would happen should I be around humans alone. The constant burning in my throat was a reminder that I could end a life if I wasn't careful enough.

Jasper, Rosalie and Edward had taken me hunting last night, so my thirst would be more bearable during the funeral. It would be small, but there would still be plenty of humans there as both my mother and father were well loved in Forks. In these circumstances, I suppose it was fortunate that my parents were both only children whose own parents had passed years earlier. The only blood-family I had left was a great-aunt somewhere in France who had not bothered to keep in touch with us since before I was born.

"Are you ready, darlin'?"

My eyes met Jasper's in the mirror and I sighed. "I don't think I'll ever be ready."

"I know darlin'." Jasper came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder. I leaned back against him, placing my hands on Jasper's. We just watched each other in the mirror for a moment and my eyes drifted over his perfectly pressed black suit, white shirt and black tie. He looked so handsome; I could almost envision him in his Confederate uniform, looking as charming as ever. I would have to ask if he had a photograph, though they were rare in those days.

"We should go," I said softly.

Jasper nodded, taking my hand to lead me downstairs. The rest of the family were waiting in the living room, and Carlisle, Edward and Emmett all stood as I entered the room, like the gentlemen they were.

"Oh, sweetheart." Esme hugged my tightly and I knew that if we were able we would both be sobbing. I took an unnecessary deep breath as we parted.

"Are you ready to go, Davina?" asked Carlisle. I nodded slowly, moving towards the door. Jasper and I were going in the Mercedes with Carlisle and Esme, the others going in Edward's Volvo.

There were a fair few people already there once we arrived at the cemetery. I sat with the Cullens at the front of the service, keeping silent and barely listening. I hardly noticed when it was over, Jasper and the others moving away to let me have some time. They stayed close enough to keep an eye on me but far enough not to disturb me. I only looked up when Pastor Webber stood in front of me.

"I'm very sorry for your loss, Davina."

"Thank you," I murmured.

"Is there anything I can do?" he asked.

I shook my head. "No, but thank you."

"If you ever need to talk… I don't have to talk back, I can just listen. It will stay between us."

"Thank you. You're very kind."

The pastor left me in peace then. Unfortunately, it didn't last long.

"Davina?"

I glanced up to see Jessica, Angela and Mike. "Oh, hello."

"Are you-? Is there anything-? Well…" Jess trailed off.

"I'll be alright," I said. "There is nothing for you to do, Jess, but thank you for asking."

She nodded.

"I'm so sorry," Angela told me. "I can't imagine what you're going through. If you need us, we're here."

I nodded, thanking her.

Mike hesitated, "You- You look different. Are you alright?"

" _Mike_!" Jess hissed. "That is _such_ a stupid question! Of course she's not alright!"

"It's fine, Jess," I assured. "I know I look different. Grief and a traumatic car accident will do that to you, I suppose." _You've got no idea_ , I thought. I was glad that Alice had thought to provide me with contact lenses, for now, so that my eyes still appeared brown instead of their new stark red. I'd stop wearing them when my eyes lightened; fortunately, Carlisle supposed that I could get away with the golden colour of the vegetarian diet as they were not _so_ dissimilar to my human eyes.

I cleared my throat, uncomfortable: my throat was on fire.

"Thank you for coming," I said, perhaps a bit dismissively, but I paid no attention to it.

Once everyone had finally left, I sat there for a few moments before standing to find Jasper. The rest of the family had gone home, or hunting, but Jasper had stayed. He was sitting on a bench underneath a tree, watching me quietly.

"Can we go hunting?" I asked him.

"Of course we can."

"I want to change first, though," I said. "I don't want to ruin this dress; Alice made it herself." Alice had indeed made my dress for the funeral; it was her own way of trying to cheer me up. It was lovely, despite the grim reason for its creation. It was black, of course, with sleeves that reached my elbows. It reached my knees and had a sweetheart neckline. I just wish it had been made for better circumstances.

We drove back to the house to find Edward playing around on his piano, composing a new tune from the sounds of it. He didn't stop as we passed him; only shot a look at Jasper who nodded. I don't think they knew I noticed. I flit into what was now _our_ room, quickly changing into some jeans and a burgundy t-shirt. I was taking the pins out of my hair when I saw the box resting on my pillow. Frowning, I picked it up curiously. I opened it and gasped slightly. In the box was a necklace: a long delicate silver chain with a small, oval pendant with the Cullen family crest on it.

"Do you like it?"

"I love it, Jasper."

I smiled at him and he looked happy. "I've missed that smile," he said.

"I'm sorry-" I started but he interrupted, "Don't apologise, darlin'. I don't blame you for being sad, of course you are. I just want you to feel happy, and for you to know that I love you."

"I love you too."

"I have another surprise for you." he said. Jasper handed me another small box.

I shook my head, opening the box, and I smiled. Inside the box was my heart locket that my parents had gotten for me in Paris. "Open it."

I did so and my eyes filled slightly with the venom that now replaced tears, not that it would ever fall. On one side of the locket was a photograph of my parents, on their wedding day. On the other side was an older photograph of Jasper.

"Is this you in your Confederate uniform?" I wondered.

"It is," Jasper confirmed. "Edward mentioned that you were thinking about asking for one."

"And you just happened to have one that fit this locket?" I teased and he chuckled.

"I did, actually. It was the one that I sent to my mother during the Civil War. She kept it in her locket which was about the same size. Of course, that's broken now. But it was sent back to me not long before I turned, after my mother passed."

"Thank you, Jasper," I sighed happily. "I love it!"

"I'm glad." Jasper took both necklaces off me and gestured for me to turn around. He fastened them both around my neck, the Cullen pendant falling longer than my locket: while the locket sat close to my collar bone, the pendant fell between my breasts. "We just wanted you to know that you are a part of the family and we love you, all of us."

"I love you all."

I hugged him tightly and he must have felt the turmoil inside of me: "What's wrong?"

I sighed. "I just… I feel a little bit guilty. My parents only died a few weeks ago and I already have a new family. Sometimes I just feel like I've betrayed them as y parents, you know?"

"Oh, ma petite colombe," Jasper murmured. "You haven't betrayed them at all. You have nothing to feel guilty about. Your parents loved you very much, as you loved them and still do. They would have been happy that you are so loved and that you can feel happy here. None of us will ever push you to do anything you don't want to. Carlisle and Esme, especially, do not want to force you to see them as parents."

"I do see them as parents though!" I replied. "That's why I feel guilty."

"And we have seen you as a daughter since the first day you came here," a voice said from the door. I peeked over Jasper's shoulder to see Esme watching us. "But, sweetheart, we don't expect you to start calling us Mom and Dad, you know. We have never expected it from the others, though it delights me to know that you feel that way about us. We would never want to replace your parents. Never."

Again, if I could cry. I was across the room in a blur, tackling Esme in a huge hug. She hugged me back just as tightly and pulled away after a moment. "Now, weren't you two going for a hunt?"

"We are," Jasper said. "If you're ready?" He looked at me and I nodded.

"Did you want to come, Esme?"

"Oh, no, lovely, I went yesterday with Carlisle and Alice," she told me. "You go, and have fun."

**TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT**

Christmas had passed quickly and enjoyably, with a family hunt and a game of baseball that ended too early for Emmett's taste due to snowfall. The New Year passed in much the same way, only with a visit to Alaska to see our 'cousins', the Denali coven. They were three sisters and a mated couple, all vegetarians like us. I got on very well with everyone, Kate especially as she was rather witty.

Now it was the last week of February and I had been back in school for a week. The excuse for my missing over a month of school was that I had taken ill due to stress and grief after the car accident and my parents' deaths.

It had grown rather awkward between Jessica and me, once I started back at school. While Angela understood that the Cullens had been there the most for me during my time of need, Jessica had snarked about it and grown cold towards me. I sat with the Cullens during lunch but I spoke to Angela often, during lessons and on the phone, though we hadn't really hung out. I knew that Jessica had started hanging around Lauren Mallory (or fish-face, as Rose called her), who had started rumours about Carlisle giving us all plastic surgery after adopting us. Truly, most people hadn't really noticed the difference in my appearance as I had kept to myself with few friends before the Cullens arrived in Forks.

Today, the whole school was abuzz with the news of a new student who was supposed to be arriving next week. She was Chief Swan's daughter, apparently, and she was coming from Arizona. Why anyone would move from somewhere so warm to somewhere like Forks was a wonder to everyone.

"Great," Rosalie huffed. "Another human to stare and mutter about us."

"Oh, come on, Rosie," Emmett said. "With all the moving we've done in the past, and all the humans who've stared, what's one more?"

"Emmett's right," I agreed. "So what if she stares? She won't find anything out by staring."

"You found out," Rose pointed out.

"That was different," said Edward. "Davina only found out because she's Jasper's mate and she ended up being around him all the time. None of us are going to befriend this new human."

"See, Rosie? Nothing to worry about," assured Emmett.

If only we knew what chaos the next week would bring for us.


	15. Bella Swan

**A few notes to make:**

 **Please stop asking for Davina to have Davina Claire's powers from the Originals. My Davina is a vampire, not a witch, so she will not have those powers. She does have a power, which you may see a hint of in this chapter, though it won't be fully revealed until later in the story.**

 **Davina does struggle from the thirst, she is still a newborn. But she has been a vampire for four months now and she has only just returned to school. She has to acclimate somehow and she has the others at school to help her. She will have some trouble with it later on though.**

 **I have had messages asking why Bella hasn't been in the story. I am planning to follow the Twilight series but I just wanted to establish Davina and Jasper's relationship and her relationship with the other Cullens before introducing Bella.**

We'd been hearing about the new girl all morning. Isabella Swan. None of us had seen her yet, though we had heard plenty; I'd bet most of it was false rumours. Jasper was waiting for me after class, as usual, and he walked Alice and me to lunch. He linked our hands together as we walked and I smiled. He was just adorable sometimes.

I saw Rose and Emmett walking ahead of us into the cafeteria and we followed them in. I frowned, hearing Jessica's voice through the crowd of students.

"Doctor and Mrs Cullen's foster kids," she gossiped. Clearly, she was telling the new girl all about the mysterious Cullen kids. "They all moved down here from Alaska last year. Well, except Davina, she's from here."

"They kinda keep to themselves," I heard Angela say.

"Because they're all together. Like, _together_ together." I rolled my eyes at Jessica's lack of tact as we passed their table. Angela gave me a smile as I passed her and I returned it softly; at least not everyone had abandoned me. Though I suppose it was better in the long run. "The blonde girl, Rosalie, and the big dark-haired guy, Emmett, they're a _thing_. I'm not even sure that's legal."

"Jess, they're not actually related," Angela told her.

"But they live together!" She said this as though it were some huge scandal, continuing, "And the little dark haired girl, Alice she's really weird…"

Alice smirked a little, twirling gracefully as she walked to our usual table.

"And that's Jasper, the blonde who looks like he's in pain." I looked to Jasper to find him looking irritated at the gossip. I knew how he felt though; the constant feeling of wanting to rip someone's throat out was a little overwhelming at times. Jasper, especially, struggled since he could feel not only his own bloodlust, but the rest of ours' as well.

"Doctor Cullen's this foster dad slash matchmaker," Jessica stated. I laughed, along with Emmett as we sat down.

"Maybe he'll adopt me," Angela sighed wistfully. I knew she was hinting about Edward and I hid my grin. Edward was a touchy topic to discuss with Jessica, after he had bluntly declined her, _again_ , when she asked him out.

Speak of the devil…

"Who's he?"

"That's Edward Cullen," Jessica breathed. "He's totally gorgeous, obviously. But, apparently, no one here is good enough for him. Like I care."

Rosalie snorted. "She cares. The little wench was snooping around the Volvo yesterday when I left my last class." She raised an eyebrow at me and I shrugged: it wasn't like I was responsible for Jessica's nosiness. I may have been her friend once, but she certainly didn't act that way anymore. Granted, I hadn't been particularly hospitable to her either, but then I had to refrain from sinking my teeth into her every time I was near her. Call it newborn thirst or the rage of a scorned best friend, but maybe it was a good thing to get some distance between Jess and I.

"Anyway," Jessica continued. "Don't waste your time."

"I wasn't planning on it," the new girl muttered. However, the glance she sent toward Edward said differently. I frowned slightly, noticing that Edward was staring back at her.

 _Edward_ , I thought, _Are you alright_?

He nodded slightly, looking away from the girl as Alice stood with her tray.

"We should go, Davina. Don't want to be late."

I kissed Jasper's cheek and followed Alice out of the cafeteria, dumping our trays on the way.

"Alice?" I asked, as we walked down the hall. "Did you see something?"

Alice paused. "I- I saw her."

"The new girl?"

"Bella Swan, yes. She was with Edward."

"And..?"

Alice looked at me, her eyes wide. "She was one of us."

**TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT**

Edward stormed to the car with a face like thunder.

"What's got into you, man?" Emmett asked him.

"It's that new girl."

"What about her?" Rose huffed.

"I can't read her mind."

"What?" I asked. "Is that what was bothering you at lunch?"

Edward nodded. "Then Mr. Molina put her next to me in Biology."

"So?"

"She smells…"

"Smells what?"

"Delicious," he sighed. "I almost killed her right there. I seriously considered it, I was seconds away from slaughtering the girl."

"What stopped you?" Jasper queried.

"Carlisle," Edward said. "I thought of how disappointed he would be and of how we would have to move, again."

"Not that I care about some silly human girl," Rosalie started. "But I don't want to move again, not so soon. I was so glad we didn't have to after Davina turned. No offense, Davina," she added, looking at me.

"None taken," I told her. "Look," I said to Edward. "Why don't we go home? One of us will call Carlisle and you can discuss this with him."

"That's a great idea," Alice agreed, but Edward shook his head.

"No," he said. "I have to go. I'll drop you all home, but I have to leave. I can't be around her."

"Edward-"

" _No_." His snarl cut me off and Jasper stepped in front of me slightly, a growl building in his chest.

"Not here, guys," Alice warned.

Edward calmed down slightly on the drive home but was still adamant about leaving. He wouldn't even go up to the house, instead dropping us of at the end of the driveway before speeding away. We flashed up to the house, finding Esme working on her laptop in the living room.

"What's the matter?" she asked. "Where's Edward? Has he gone hunting?"

"He's gone to the Denali's," Alice told us.

"Why has he gone alone? And so suddenly?" Esme wondered.

"We should call Carlisle," I said. "Edward's had a bit of an issue in school."

"I'll do it," Alice volunteered. She left the room quickly.

"Oh dear," she frowned. "Nobody's been hurt, have they?"

"Not yet," glared Rose.

"Rose!" Esme scolded but Rose just shrugged, leaning back into the armchair as Alice returned.

"I think this girl might be Edward's singer," Jasper mused. He sat on the loveseat, next to Alice, and tugged me into his lap.

"What's a singer?" I asked.

"A singer is a human for who a vampire feels an intense thirst for. It's worse than usual and, most of the time, the thirst is uncontrollable and ends in the human's death," Emmett explained grimly. From his tone, I figured it had happened to him before.

"Should we move?" I asked.

"Not just yet." We all looked towards the doorway, where Carlisle was standing. We had been so enthralled in our discussion that we hadn't heard his car pull up. "We should wait for Edward to return, at least." He calmly walked over to join Esme on the sofa. "Until Edward returns, we will continue on as we normally do: I shall go to work and you will all keep going to school. Edward will return when he is ready and we will discuss it as a family when he does."

Everyone agreed, albeit Rose was very reluctant; she wanted to go and kill Isabella Swan and rid us of the problem, until Jasper pointed out that she had wanted to kill me too and yet now we are sisters.

"That's different!" she snapped. "Davina wasn't your singer and she kept our secret. How do we know this girl won't blab as soon as she finds out?"

"How do you know she will?" I countered. "I didn't. Besides, she might not even find out, anyway."

"You did!"

"Yes, but I was around Jasper and Alice all the time. If Edward stays away from her, then she more than likely won't find out what we are."

"I don't think he will stay away," Alice murmured.

"Alice, your visions don't always come true," I told her softly. "Something might change yet."

"What did you see?" Jasper asked.

"I saw Bella with Edward. They were running in the woods and she was a vampire."

Rose groaned. "This is just a disaster waiting to happen. What if the Volturi get involved this time?"

"They won't," Alice said. "At least, I'll see it if they do decide to visit, but as of right now, they have no reason to."

Rosalie huffed angrily, storming out of the room. I knew she was either going hunting or she would work on her car in the garage. Emmett muttered an apology and followed his wife.

"Well," said Carlisle. "There is nothing we can do right now, so I suggest we just wait for Edward to calm down and come home. Alice, will you keep an eye on him?"

She nodded and Carlisle left the room with Esme following.

I sighed, "Well, all this arguing has made me thirsty. Anyone up for a hunt?"

Alice hummed, agreeing to come and Jasper kissed my cheek. "Let's go then, darlin'."

We ran into Rose and Emmett on our hunt and Rose cheered up a little when Jasper sneaked up on Emmett and stole his grizzly bear, shoving Emmett into the lake as he did.

**TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT**

The entire week, Bella Swan had been staring at our table as though willing Edward to appear. He came back on Sunday night, calmer and determined to stay in Forks. Alice had had multiple visions during the week, as Edward's decisions solidified his future: he wanted to get to know Bella Swan.

Rosalie was especially furious when Alice announced at lunch on Monday that Edward would talk to Bella in Biology. The family had been divided over this all week: Alice and Esme were excited at the idea of Edward finally showing an interest in a girl; Jasper, Emmett and I were neutral, though Emmett was inclined to agree with Rose purely so that he wouldn't end up in the dog house; Carlisle was happy for Edward, yet cautious and Rosalie… Well, she was enraged at the prospect of Edward possibly revealing our secret to a human. I was slightly offended at this, as she had come around to the idea of me when I was human so why not Bella as well? But Rosalie seemed determined to hate Bella and I think Bella had realised this when the three of us had run into her in the bathroom at school: Rose had glared coldly at the girl until she left the bathroom in a hurry.

Jasper was walking me to my last class of the day when we saw Edward walking with Bella in the opposite direction. As they came towards us, Bella looked us over curiously and I gave her a small smile. I felt bad about any negativity she was getting from the others, particularly Rose, as I knew what it was like to be intrigued by a Cullen boy. Edward frowned at me as they passed and I thought to him; _You need to decide, Edward. This isn't fair on her, or on any of us._ He nodded slightly, though a human would never have been able to notice, and I continued walking with Jasper.

"You alright, darlin'?"

I looked up at Jasper and nodded, "Yeah, I'm just worried about Edward and all of this."

"How so?"

"Well, you know Edward's beliefs about our souls. What if he falls in love with her and something happens or she wants to become one of us, but he refuses to turn her?"

Jasper pulled me to the side of the hallway. "Darlin', we don't know that he will fall for her. And if he does, then I hope he feels as happy with Bella as I do with you. If and when the time comes, we will have to trust that Edward, and Bella if it is her choice, will make the right decision."

"Do you think you made the right decision, Jazz?"

"Oh, ma petite colombe, of course I did," he told me. "Don't you know I love you? I could never live without you."

"I love you too, Jasper." He leaned down to press a kiss on my lips and then one on my nose before he grinned.

"Come on, you. Let's get to class."

I sighed and let him tug me to Calculus.

**TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT**

I was standing at my locker, waiting for Jasper to meet me as Calculus had let out early. I sorted through my books and closed the door, hearing footsteps behind me.

"Hey, Davina."

I turned to face the voice, only to realise it was a senior boy. His name was Thomas. He had dark hair and blue eyes and he was obsessed with weightlifting. Apparently, he was determined to be as buff as Emmett who was in his gym class.

"Hi, Thomas."

"So, listen, a few of us are going up to La Push later this week if you wanna come?"

I frowned slightly. "Thomas, you know I'm with Jasper. Thank you for the offer, but no thank you."

"Come on, Davina." He leaned against the locker next to mine. "You don't wanna be with him, he's pale and _blonde_. What's he got that I don't?"

"How about manners, for a start?" I suggested. "And what's wrong with being blonde?"

"Well, it's not very manly is it?"

"Neither is being a jerk and trying to steal someone's girlfriend!" I snapped.

"Whoa, hey," Thomas held his hands up in surrender. "If I knew you were this uptight, I would have asked your friend Jessica instead."

"Excuse me?"

I turned to see Jasper stood behind me, glaring dangerously at Thomas who actually took a step back.

"Um, nothing man. I was just asking Davina something."

"He was asking me out and harassing me about you," I scowled. I turned back to Thomas. "I suggest you learn how to speak to a girl properly before you ask anyone else out again and next time, make sure she's actually single."

Thomas sneered at Jasper, "Maybe you should get a new girlfriend; this one seems too much of a hassle."

"I suggest you do as the lady says, and leave her alone," Jasper practically snarled. I was leaning against his chest now and I could feel the growl vibrating against my back.

Thomas scoffed, looking back at me before turning away. "Little whore," he muttered.

"Hey!" I snapped. "Why don't you go and knock some sense into yourself? Maybe it will teach you some manners! Go away."

Thomas looked a bit dazed for a moment and then he turned and walked away.

"Are you alright, darlin'?" Jasper asked.

"Yeah," I sighed. "Let's just go home."

Edward was smiling a bit as we reached the car, though he frowned as he saw what just occurred in our minds. "You okay, Davina?"

"Yeah, I just want to go home," I told him. He nodded, unlocking the car, and we all climbed in. I noticed that Edward paused before getting in the car and I followed his gaze to see Bella watching us. Well, watching Edward.

"Did you talk to her?" I asked, as he drove us home.

"I did," Edward admitted and Alice squealed. "Alice, for God's sake, all I did was talk to her."

"But it's a start," she said excitedly. "Oh, I can see it now! We're going to be great friends!"

"No, Alice!" Edward snapped. "You're not going to talk to her, none of you are."

"But _why_?" Alice whined.

"Because, I don't know what I'm doing," he huffed. "And I don't need you getting involved and possibly ruining anything!"

Alice's face fell and I frowned at Edward in the rear-view mirror. "That was a bit harsh, Edward."

He just ignored me, running off to hunt as soon as we pulled up outside the house.

I sighed, wrapping an arm around Alice's shoulders. "Come on, Alice, never mind him. He's just grumpy because it's not how he imagined things going. Why don't we go and see if we can find something online for Carlisle and Esme's anniversary present, hmm?"

"Oh," she gasped. "I know exactly what I want to get them! I saw this _gorgeous_ antique dish set that Esme is going to absolutely love!"

I laughed as she dragged me into the house, sending a pleading look to Jasper who just shrugged and mouthed, _You started her off._ I sent him a playful glare and he smirked, watching Alice tug me away.


	16. Struggles

**Hi guys!**

 **So, I had a message about the French in this story and I'd like to make it clear that I know the absolute bare minimum amount of French. I have used Google Translate for the French, and I have put the English in bold in case of any mistakes.**

 **Also, I was wondering if anyone wanted to do any fan art for this story? I would post it as an image cover for a chapter, though it would be on my Quotev account. If so, please let me know as I would love to see what you guys come up with. If not, don't worry about it and please enjoy the chapter.**

 **Thank you for all reviews and messages!**

I used to hate Forks' winter weather, but now that I couldn't feel the cold it didn't bother me so much. Alice, however, detested the icy layers that covered the parking lot of Forks Hugh School, complaining the slush that resulted from multiple cars and footsteps was going to ruin her shoes. I did tell her not to wear the suede ones. It had been another tense day, full of glares from Rosalie that were directed towards Edward, and occasionally Bella Swan. Rose was still adamant that killing Bella was the best way of eliminating any threat she may pose to our secret. Not to mention, I had heard some gossip from Angela in French: Jessica had told her that Thomas Grayson, the senior who had bothered me earlier that week, had ended up in hospital after somehow knocking himself out during weight training. A lot of girls were rather upset over it, even though the guy was a jerk.

Alice had just joined our group by the car, having stayed behind to talk to our Art teacher, when it happened. Edward was watching Bella, as usual, and I was huddled close to Jasper, using the cold weather as an excuse to be close to him, not that I needed one. Alice was talking to Rose and I one second and the next her face had gone blank, her eyes staring off into the distance. Within three seconds, she was herself again, but before she could warn us of what was about to happen, it had already started.

There was a loud screech of tires against the road and we all turned to see a dark blue van skidding on the ice. It showed no signs of slowing down and, as luck would have it, the van was headed straight for Bella Swan's rusty old truck. She was standing at the back end of it, her headphones in and seemingly hadn't noticed the oncoming vehicle yet. People were yelling for her to watch out but, by the time she looked up, it was too late. The van smashed into the back of Bella's truck and screams sounded throughout the parking lot. As people ran to the aid of the driver, Tyler Crowley, I looked to the others only to realise that Edward was missing. Frowning, I turned back to the crash in time to see said vampire jump out from between the two cars just as Bella stood up. She appeared to be unharmed, though I knew that the paramedics would check her over when they arrived; I could already hear the sirens.

"Oh, shit," Emmett breathed out, looking between his wife's furious glare and Edward's unremorseful expression. As Edward reached the car, Rose took a step forward but I grabbed her arm.

"Not here," I warned, darting my eyes around to point out the humans still surrounding us. "Did she see anything?" I asked Edward.

"I don't think so," he said. "She hit her head."

"We should follow them to the hospital," Jasper decided. "Carlisle can tell us if she remembers anything suspicious."

I shifted slightly. "Actually, I think I'll go home. I can wait for information there. Carlisle won't want all of us appearing at the hospital, it will be more suspicious if Bella sees us all there."

"Agreed," said Rose. "I'll go with Edward to the hospital."

"Are you alright, darlin'?" Jasper asked me, a slight frown on is face as looked down at me.

I cleared my throat. "Tyler's hurt," I told him. "I can smell the blood."

Realisation crossed all their faces before Alice spoke up, "It's fine. I don't see anything happening as long as we leave now."

As soon as we out of view of the school, Edward pulled over to let Emmett, Alice, Jasper and I out of the car. While he and Rosalie drove to the hospital, the rest of us would run. Jazz and I split from the other two halfway home, having decided to hunt instead. The two of us were the newest in regards to refraining from human blood, so the scent of fresh blood mere feet from us had been difficult to resist. The burning in my throat had increased in intensity and I could feel the urge to kill simmering just beneath the surface. Fortunately, that urged was squashed back down after I drained three deer.

I sat on a rock, waiting for Jasper to finish. I brought my legs up to rest my arms on my knees and sighed, dropping my head back against the tree behind the rock. I closed my eyes, listening to the sounds of nature around me, though the birds had stopped chirping after they sensed the danger they were in as we started our hunt. I could hear the trickling of the river not far away, the heartbeat of a larger animal like a bear or a mountain lion, and… footsteps.

I opened my eyes to see Jasper approaching from my right. I gave him a small smile as he perched next to me on the rock and took my hand in his.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "And don't say it's nothing," he added, cutting me off as I opened my mouth to do exactly that. "Empath, remember?"

I sighed. "It's… Well, it's a couple of things really."

"I suppose the main problem is how tempting it was to just let go earlier?" Jasper guessed.

"Being around humans in general and being freshly spilled blood is different," I finally said. "The urge to rip his throat out was intense."

"I know," he nodded. Jasper rubbed small circles on the back of my hand, and then brought it up to press a kiss to my fingers. "I won't lie, even after fifty years it's still difficult for me. I know it is for Alice, Emmett, and the others as well. Even Carlisle, despite his centuries of practicing control and the morally strongest of us all, still feels a twinge of temptation occasionally. He's just better at controlling the thirst, at resisting the urge to kill. It's nothing to be ashamed of, darlin', we have all struggled. You've only been a vampire for less than half a year; you have absolutely nothing to worry about. It's only natural for you to want to give into your instincts. But I am s _o proud_ of you for maintaining your control. I have seen newborns kill for less than what you had to face today, and I felt your thirst. I also felt your fear; I'm assuming the crash brought back memories?" I nodded and he hugged me closer. "I am so proud of you, Davina. And I love you. Nothing will ever change that."

If I had been human, tears would have been cascading down my face by the end of Jasper's speech. Instead, small dry sobs were all I could manage as I looked into Jasper's loving eyes. "Even if I killed someone?"

"Even if you killed lots of someones," he promised. "After all, how could I not love you after everything you have done for me?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, calming down.

"Davina, I never thought I would find someone who loves me as much as you do, especially after all the awful things I have done. But here you are." Jasper smiled at me so gently that I feared my insides might melt.

"I do love you," I told him.

"And I love you. So very much." Jasper leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. He tugged me towards him and I pressed myself close to his chest, dragging my fingers through his hair in the way I knew he liked. I grinned into the kiss when Jasper let out a purr-like sound. After a few moments, we pulled back and shared a smile before he asked, "What was the other thing?"

"Hmm?"

"The other thing that's bothering you."

"Oh," I sighed. "Well, you remember what happened by my locker the other day, yeah?"

He nodded. "Of course."

"Do you remember me telling Thomas to 'knock some sense' into himself?"

"Yes."

"I was speaking to Angela in French this afternoon and she told me that, apparently, he's been in the hospital after knocking himself out with one of his weights. I'm not sure what happened exactly, but some people have claimed that it looked like he did it on purpose."

"Davina," Jasper started. I felt a wave of calm wash over me and I knew he was using his powers to relax me. "I'm sure it was just an accident. Besides, even if he did do it purposely I'm sure it had nothing to do with you."

"But Jasper, I _told_ him to do it!" I fretted.

"Hey, hey, calm down." Jasper turned me to face him properly, taking both of my hands in his, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Look, I'm sure it's nothing but, you like, we can talk to Carlisle about it later tonight. It will have to be later though, I'm sure Rosalie will kick up enough fuss at the hospital for Carlisle to call another family meeting. Especially if the Swan girl is suspicious of anything."

"I'm sure Alice would tell us if she knew anything was going to happen," I assured him. "Anyway, Edward said that Bella hit her head so maybe we can pass it off as a hallucination or something? A side effect of a concussion."

"Maybe. I hope-" Jasper was cut off by the sound of his phone ringing from his pocket. Sighing at the interruption, he answered the call with a curt, "Hello?"

" _Jasper, if you and Davina have finished your hunt, I have decided to have a family discussion about this afternoon's incident."_ I could hear Carlisle through the phone.

"We're on our way," Jazz told him. "We won't be long." He ended the call and stood, swiftly pulling me up with him. "We'd better go."

"I heard," I said. "I hope Rose isn't going to be as unbearable as I think she will be."

"Oh, I know she will be." Jasper pulled a face at the thought of listening to Rosalie's repetitive complaining about Bella and Edward.

I giggled. "Come on, Major. Let's go see if we can sort this out. I'm sure Carlisle would appreciate your assistance particular."

Jasper raised an eyebrow at me and grinned. "Yes, ma'am."

"Don't call me ma'am. It makes me feel old."

"Well, you are all of seventeen," he joked.

"Says the old fart born in 1844." I faked a dramatic gasp, knowing that what I said next was impossible but still finding it hilarious to wind him up. "Is that a grey hair?"

I smirked at the shocked look on his face, and then started to run towards the house before he could reply, my laughter echoing through the trees around us.


	17. Discussions and Disagreements

I was right in thinking that Rosalie would be furious. During the family meeting it was revealed that Bella had talked to Edward at the hospital, clearly having somewhat remembered what had happened. Edward had managed to stall on an explanation but I had a feeling that Bella wasn't going to let it go anytime soon. Personally, I had no problem with Bella finding out, considering my own circumstances, but I knew that Edward was wary about getting involved with a human after what had happened to me. The dangers of hanging around vampires were paramount; anything could happen. If that car accident hadn't 'killed' me, then maybe it would have been Emmett that time he nearly lost control, or even Jasper losing control without meaning to. Edward was particularly cautious about bringing Bella into our life when I was still so new to it and, from what little interaction I had had with the girl (passing her in the halls at school, mainly), she smelt rather appetising. However, I knew that she was nowhere near as tempting for me as she was for Edward himself; he didn't trust his own control around her either.

Carlisle and Emmett had managed to calm Rose down, though she was currently refusing to communicate with Edward through any means other than nasty comments, both out loud and in her head, and harsh glares.

I seriously hoped it wouldn't come to blows between them, as I knew that Emmett would side with his wife and it could have terrible repercussions for the family.

**TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT**

Alice, Edward, Jasper and I were waiting near the school buses in the parking lot; we were going on a Biology trip to a greenhouse and both Junior classes had to go. Mr. Molina was checking everyone's permission slips when I noticed that Edward was watching Bella again. Her cheeks were blushing as she stared back and I smiled a little, remembering how I use to blush around Jasper. My smile grew as I watched Mike Newton awkwardly gain Bella's attention.

"What are you smiling at?" Jasper asked me.

I shook my head slightly. "Just remembering my human days."

He frowned worriedly, "Do you regret becoming a vampire? I mean, I know I sort of forced it on you-"

"Jasper," I interrupted firmly. "You did not force it on me, you saved me. And I definitely don't regret it. I was just remembering how I used to blush around you all the time."

"Oh," Jasper breathed out, relieved. "I thought it was so adorable. What made you think of it?"

"Bella," I gestured. "She looks at Edward the same way I look at you."

"She does get flustered when he's around, doesn't she?" Jasper said amusedly. "I can feel her curiosity."

Edward suddenly snorted, drawing our attention. "What?" I asked.

"Newton just asked her to prom."

"So? Worried she'll say yes?" teased Alice.

"Will she?"

"Maybe she will. Maybe she won't," Alice laughed.

"Alice…" Edward trailed off, looking relieved. "She said no."

We paused, listening in. "…Non-refundable ticket. Maybe you should ask Jessica."

I knew Jessica would love that. Ever since Edward had turned her down the last time, she had been making eyes at an oblivious Mike. We moved towards the buses at Mr. Molina's prompts, Edward smirking as he crossed in front of Jessica to block Mike's view.

**TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT**

The four of us were wandering through the greenhouse, Alice and I laughing as Mr. Molina scolded Tyler Crowley for drinking some sort of tea for the plants. Edward paused by a Fernand glanced back at Bella. Alice, Jasper and I took that as our cue to continue without him.

"Alice?" I asked.

"She'll trip but it will be fine," she told me quietly. "He'll catch her."

A few moments later, Edward stalks up to us as we start leaving for the buses, an agitated look on his face.

"Everything alright?" Jasper asked him.

"Fine!" Edward growled and I raised an eyebrow. "Sorry," he muttered.

"Who pissed on your mountain lion?" I joked.

Alice giggled at my play on words and Jasper smirked from beside me. Edward just ignored me, glaring ahead at the yellow bus, and then moving away to talk to Bella again.

"Bella, it would be better if we weren't friends," he told her. I rolled my eyes at his melodramatics.

"Too bad you didn't figure that out earlier," Bella snapped. "You could have let the van crush me and saved yourself all this regret!"

"You think I regret saving you?"

"I know you do."

"You don't know anything." Alice quickly moved away from my side, appearing next to Edward as fast as she could while still seeming human.

"The bus is leaving," she told him, gesturing to where Jasper and I were waiting. Alice turned to Bella curiously. "Hi. Will you be riding with us?"

"No, our bus is full." Edward said darkly and stormed away from Bella. He shoved passed me and onto the bus. Jasper and I shared an annoyed glance as Alice came back.

"He's rude when he's grumpy," I stated.

"You should have seen him the first time we met," Jasper laughed. "Edward was out hunting when we arrived at the Cullen's, they lived in Canada then, I think. Anyway, Alice decided that Edward's room had the best view. When Edward came back from his hunt, it was to find all of his stuff in the garage and two strangers in the living room. He was so confused." I grinned at the thought of Edward coming home to two random strangers and his bedroom taken over.

Alice giggled. "That was hilarious. I still don't think he's quite forgiven me for it, he loved that room."

I laughed, climbing onto the bus and finding a pair of empty seats behind Edward. Alice sat in front of Jazz and I, next to Edward the Grump.

"I heard that," he muttered.

"You were meant to," I smirked. "Cheer up. She'll come around."

"I don't want her to 'come around'!" Edward huffed, swivelling in his seat to glare at me. "I'm dangerous, we all are. Especially you! You, out of all of us, should realise the danger of being a human around our kind."

"Hey!" Jasper growled. "Watch your mouth! Don't you _dare_ speak to Davina like that. She was only trying to help."

"I don't want her help!"

"Edward." Jasper's voice had grown dangerous and I rubbed his arm, attempting to push calming feelings at him. His amber eyes flicked to me, his tense posture relaxing slightly. Edward just ignored him, turning to stare out of the window.

Needless to say, it was a tense ride home.

**TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT**

I had joined Rosalie in not talking to Edward. However, unlike Rose, I was just waiting for an apology. Our already tense group, tensed even further when the main subject of our disagreements entered the cafeteria. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Bella glance at our table but none us looked at her, not even Edward. I dropped my plastic fork onto my tray of uneaten lasagne, there purely for show; instead choosing to take Jasper's hand and trace random patterns on is palm with my fingers. He hummed contentedly, wrapping his free arm around my shoulders. Besides, Alice murmuring to Rose on my left about a shopping trip, we were quiet; until Edward suddenly got up.

We watched, confused as he walked over to the salad bar. Since we didn't eat human food, we had no idea why he had randomly decided he needed to go over there, but it all made sense when we sure who he was approaching. Bella Swan. I sighed as Rosalie bristled at the sight of the girl.

"Babe, chill," Emmett said. "What's gonna happen in the middle of the cafeteria?"

Rose just hissed at him. Edward appeared to be showing off for Bella, bouncing her apple off of the tip of his shoe and catching it. He presented it to her with a little grin.

Alice smirked mischievously. "He's so cute when he tries."

I snorted. "He needs to sort out his mood swings," I said, just as we heard Bella say, "Your mood swings are giving me whiplash."

"I said it would be better if we weren't friend, not that I didn't want to be."

"Well, that's not confusing at all," I said to the others. Edward sent me a small glare before turning his attention back to Bella. She glanced at our table to see what he was looking at, and then looked to see her own friends watching them as well.

Edward's face dropped as their conversation continued and, again, he ended up walking away from her.

"What's wrong?" I asked, breaking my promise not to talk to him.

"She asked me to hang out with her."

Rose growled but I shushed her. "So?"

"So, she's going to La Push and I can't go."

"What did you tell her?"

"Just that it gets crowded." Emmett laughed at the weak excuse and Jasper dropped his head down, pinching the bridge of nose.

"Edward," my boyfriend sighed. "You have to start coming up with better reasons."

"You also have to make your mind up," I told him. "You can't keep changing your mind every five seconds. You'll drive her crazy."

"Well, I don't see why you're fighting this," said Alice. "I've already seen Bella as one of us and you know-"

Edward cut her off. "Alice, that's just it! We _don't_ know that it will happen because your visions are subjective!"

"And yet, I'm still seeing a vampire Bella in the future, despite your attempts to fool yourself into thinking that it won't happen," Alice replied smugly.

"It can't happen," Rose said. "We barely got away with Davina becoming a vampire, especially since we stayed here after. If Bella does find out about us, we'll have to move sooner than we want to."

"Sooner than _you_ want to," Edward muttered.

"Not necessarily," I told Rose. "If Bella finds out and decides to join us, I'm sure we can wait until after graduation or something. Anyway, there is still a tiny chance that she might not even find out."

"She will," insisted Alice.

"Either way," Jasper interrupted. "We need to go, the bell will ring any minute."

He was right. Jasper stood, grabbing my bag as well as his, and offered a hand to me. I smiled sweetly and took it, allowing him to walk me to class as he usually did.

**TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT**

That Friday, it was sunny so we didn't attend school. Instead, the boys went hunting while we ladies had a movie day. Alice had painted my toenails a lovely lilac shade to match the manicure she had already given me. Esme was reading a Home Design magazine, as her passion was interior decorating. Rosalie had her laptop out and was doing some online shopping. We had a rom-com on in the background, _'How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days'_. It was one of our favourites. It had just gotten to the part where Andy interrupts Ben's poker night, when the boys came home. Jasper was sitting next to me on the sofa in a flash, Carlisle Emmett appearing next Rose and yanking her into a kiss. Carlisle sat elegantly next his wife, while Edward was about to sit at the piano. He was prevented from doing so, however, by Alice's sharp intake of breath.

"Alice?" Carlisle queried. "What is it?"

Edward shot out of the house and I heard the engine of his Volvo start before he peeled out of the driveway.

"Where is Edward going?" Esme wondered.

"Bella's in trouble," Alice told us.

Rosalie scoffed. "Well, maybe she'll finally leave us alone then."

"Rose!" I scolded. "You don't mean that." She merely shrugged.

"She's being followed by a group of guys, Rosalie," Alice informed her quietly, and the blonde went rigid. We all knew of Rose's awful experience that led to her joining the Cullen family. She stayed silent.

Carlisle's phone rang.

"Chief Swan," he greeted.

" _Doctor Cullen. I'm sorry to bother you so late on a Friday…_ "

"No, don't worry about it," Carlisle assured. "What can I help you with, Chief?"

" _We've uh… We've got a body. One of ours, Waylon Forge, was up working on his boat. He was attacked by an animal of some kind we suspect, but we need someone to help confirm it."_

"Oh, I'm sorry, Charlie," Carlisle told him. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

" _Thanks, Doctor Cullen."_

Carlisle ended the call and flashed upstairs to his office. He came back down with his medical bag, not that it would do much help for a dead man. Kissing Esme, he apologised for leaving so soon after coming home, and quickly left. His Mercedes left the drive not a moment later.

"Well, this is an eventful evening, then," Emmett joked. He wasn't wrong.


	18. Emmett Interrupts

"Carlisle?"

"Come in, Davina."

I entered Carlisle's office to see him sitting at his desk, working on some files for the hospital. "Is everything alright?" he asked.

"I was wondering if I could talk to you about something."

"Of course." Carlisle closed the file he was working on and closed the lid of his laptop, giving me his full attention. At his gesture, I sat in the seat across from him, the desk between us. "What can I help you with?"

"Well, something odd happened in school a few days ago," I told him. "I got into a confrontation with a senior guy and…"

"Did you hurt him?" My eyes shot up to meet Carlisle's and he frowned apologetically. "I'm sorry, Davina, but with you being so new to this life I immediately jumped to conclusions. I apologise. Please continue."

"Uh… We argued and I told him to knock some sense into himself. Then I heard a day later that Thomas was in the hospital after knocking himself out, though I don't know the details of what happened."

Carlisle leaned back in his leather office chair, a thoughtful look on his face. "And you think you somehow made – Thomas, was it? – injure himself?"

"I don't know," I bit my lip.

"Does anyone else know of this?"

"Just Jasper. He was there when we argued."

"Alright," said Carlisle. "Was there anything strange about how this boy reacted after you told him this?"

"I-I'm not sure," I hesitated. "He looked a little dazed but that's not unusual for humans to look a bit… dazzled by us."

Carlisle's mouth quirked up in the corner slightly. "No, that is not unusual. I don't know what to tell you, Davina. I'm not sure if it is a sign of a gift or if it was just, as you said a dazzled human. But keep an eye out and let me know if anything like this happens again, even if it's just the slightest thing that worries you."

"Thank you, Carlisle." I smiled at him and he returned it warmly.

"You're very welcome. Now, Jasper and Alice are waiting rather impatiently downstairs for you." He was right; I could hear Alice's complaining from here. "I will see you all after school."

I waved to him as I left his office, blurring downstairs to stand next to Jasper at the front door. I raised an eyebrow at Alice. "I'm ready now, Drama Queen," I teased and Jasper smirked as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

"I am not a Drama Queen!" groaned Alice. You are just making us very late. What were you talking about, anyway?"

"You didn't hear?" I asked.

"Jasper kept distracting me with different decisions so that I focused on the future instead of your conversations, so no," she pouted.

"Well, good," I told her. I climbed into the passenger seat of my car, tossing the keys to Jasper as he walked around to the driver's side. "I'll tell you when I'm ready."

"But that's not fair!" Alice whined from the backseat.

"Ali, you'll probably see it anyway, when I decide to tell you."

"That's true, but it's still not fair! I'm your sister, I should know!"

"Oh, so then I suppose that, as your sister, Rosalie should know who really wrecked her favourite boots?"

"Hey," she started. "Those boots were nearly a year old! They needed to be gotten rid of."

I turned in my seat to face her. "Alice, just because you like replacing your whole wardrobe every five minutes doesn't mean the rest of us should. Some of us like wearing the same thing more than once, you know."

A horrified look came over her pixie-like features. "But _why_?"

"Because it's comfortable," I told her. "And it's a waste of money to throw clothes out after wearing them only once."

"But we're immortal, we have loads of money. Plus, we make more all the time due to my visions about stocks and things."

"Yes, and where would we be if you wasted it all on clothes all the time? Also, your visions can change, Alice, you know that."

Alice sat back, a sulky look on her face. After a minute, she spoke. "You won't really tell Rose, will you?"

I laughed. "Of course not! It'll be hilarious to see her get revenge on Emmett."

Jasper chuckled, pulling into the space beside Edward's car. The others had gone ahead of us. Getting out, I asked Rose where Edward was since he wasn't waiting with her and Emmett.

"He went off with _her_ ," she growled.

"Who, Bella?"

Rose's nostrils flared and I turned away from her, lest she decide to kill me as well as her husband.

"They won't be back to school today," Alice informed us, back to her usual cheery self.

"Have you seen anything?" Jasper asked her.

"Nothing bad." Alice skipped off to class, leaving the rest of us to wonder what would happen.

**TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT**

Neither Edward nor Bella showed up to any of their classes. Her rusty truck was gone from the parking lot when the final bell rang and Emmett drove the Volvo home, Edward having left the keys. When we got home, Alice immediately began pestering me to go shopping with her, clearly ignoring our earlier tiff. Rosalie and Emmett went hunting, which the rest of us were glad for since Rose's anger about Bella was pissing the rest of us off. Alice eventually left me alone with Jasper after talking about different prom dresses for an hour and a half. I had no idea where she went but at least she wasn't chatting my ear off. I loved that woman but she could be really annoying when she got going. Carlisle and Esme were out as well, though I didn't know where, and Edward still wasn't back from his spontaneous field trip, so that left Jasper and I to ourselves, finally.

"So," Jasper said. He had me pinned to the bedroom door. "What do I do with you now that I have you all alone, Miss Haywood?"

"Hmmm," I pretended to think. "You could always start by kissing me?"

"Well, I would be most happy to oblige, Ma'am," he smirked, his Southern accent getting stronger.

"Don't call me Ma'am," I murmured just before his lips pressed to mine.

Jasper kissed me slowly, his hands trailing down from my hair, to my shoulders and don't y arms. He squeezed my hands gently before pulling them up to rest on his chest, where I gripped his shirt tightly. His hands trailed back down, coming to rest on my waist and he tugged me even closer. I hummed contentedly into our kiss then giggled as Jasper picked me up so that my legs wrapped around his waist, and he started to walk us over to the bed.

"I hope you two aren't having sex up there!"

Jasper growled, pulling away to rest his forehead against mine. "I'm going to kill Emmett."

I giggled as Emmett's booming laugh echoed from downstairs. I dropped back to the floor and Jasper kissed my cheek before racing downstairs. I heard a girly squeal come from Emmett and followed after my boyfriend to see what was going on. When I got to the living room, I saw that Jasper had launched Emmett through the (fortunately open) patio doors and out into the garden. Emmett had landed in the dirt just on the edge of the river and I snorted at the astonished look on his face as Rose came to stand beside me. Jasper stepped out after Emmett, who stood up with a grin and readied himself for a fight. Just as the larger vampire was about to lunge, Esme appeared at the patio doors.

"Don't you _dare_ start fighting here," she warned. "If either of you crushes my plants, you'll be visiting more garden centres than you can dream of!"

Rose and I laughed, knowing the boys hated going garden shopping with Esme… or shopping in general. There was a warm chuckle from behind me and I turned to see Carlisle had come home, with Edward behind him.

"Hey, guys," I greeted and Carlisle kissed my temple as he moved passed me to greet Esme. Edward went straight for the piano and seconds later there was a sweet melody playing throughout the room. I felt a hand on my waist and leaned my head against Jasper's chest as we listened to Edward's new composition.

"It's so pretty," I complimented him when the music ended.

"You haven't made a new one in a while, sweetheart," said Esme.

Edward sighed. "It's uh – It's a lullaby."

"For Bella?" I asked curiously and he nodded slightly. I smiled. "That's sweet, Edward. I'm sure she'll love it."

"I want to bring her here."

" _What_?" hissed Rosalie. "She _knows_? And you want to bring here, of all places?"

"Son, are you sure?" asked Carlisle.

"Yes," he said. "Bella want's to meet all of you. And I'd quite like for all of you to meet her. Properly," he added, looking at those of who went to school. So far, only Esme hadn't met Bella. All of us 'children' had seen her at school and Carlisle at the hospital. I knew that the motherly vampire so desperately wanted to meet the girl who had her son so intrigued.

"Bring her on Sunday," she told him sweetly. "We can all go hunting on Saturday, just in case. I'll cook for her, maybe."

"That would be great, thank you Esme," Edward smiled.

"Maybe I shouldn't be here when she comes over," I said. "I know how strong her scent is from across the cafeteria; I'm worried about not being able to control myself in such close proximity to her."

"That's why we're going hunting, D," Emmett said. "So that there are no accidents." I knew he still felt a bit guilty about almost attacking that one time in the kitchen. I sent him a small smile as Carlisle spoke.

"We will all go hunting on Saturday," he confirmed. Edward will bring Bella to the house on Sunday and if anyone feels like they might lose control then they are more than welcome to take a break and calm down."

I nodded, feeling a little better though I suspected that Jasper might have had something to do with that too. I just hoped that I would be able to resist if I had to; I didn't want to hurt Bella or scare away. I wanted Edward to be as happy as I was with Jasper. Edward nodded at me in gratitude, clearly having heard my thoughts.

Jasper wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, nuzzling his nose into my neck. "We'll be fine, darlin'," he murmured. "Nothing will happen. Je vous promets." **I promise you.**

"I love you, Jasper."

"As I love you, ma petite colombe." **My little dove.**

"You guys are gross."

"Emmett!"


	19. Baseball and Nomads

Jasper and I had stayed out hunting longer than the rest of the family; we were both worried about how we would react to Bella being so close when she got to the house. Alice had stayed with us, reassuring us that nothing would be fine.

Alice eventually dragged us back to the house. We darted through the trees towards the house, hopping through the kitchen window where the whole family, plus one human, were gathered.

I could smell the chicken that Esme was cooking; she had roped Carlisle, Emmett and Rosalie into helping. There was glass on the floor with a salad surrounding and I raised an eyebrow at Rose, who just shrugged.

"Hi, Bella!" Alice bounded forward to kiss Bella's cheek, handing her the wildflowers she'd picked on the way home. "I'm Alice – Oh! You do smell good."

"Alice," Edward warned but she just smiled.

"It's alright. Bella and I are going to be great friends, and Davina!" She turned to smile at me and Bella followed her gaze.

Bella stepped forward, offering her hand. "Hello."

"Hi, Bella," I murmured. "It's lovely to meet you." I cautiously waved instead of shaking her hand, aware of the fire in my throat.

"And you're Jasper, right?"

"Pleasure to meet you," he said. I squeezed his hand encouragingly.

"It's okay, guys," Alice told us. "You won't hurt her."

"Jasper and Davina are our newest vegetarians," Carlisle explained. "Davina only joined us recently."

Bella nodded awkwardly and Edward took her hand. "I'll give you a tour."

"I'll see you soon." Alice smiled and Edward shot her look, before tugging Bella from the room.

I breathed a small sigh of relief, the intensity of Bella's scent fading now that she wasn't stood right in front of me.

"I think that went well," Esme said happily. She smiled widely, hugging Carlisle. "Clean this up," she told Rosalie, gesturing to the mess of salad leaves on the floor. "Now."

"Shall we?" Jasper murmured in my ear.

"Mm-hmm."

We left the kitchen in a blur, hurrying up to our room. It was a sanctuary for us while Bella was here. I could smell her floral scent leading upstairs, towards Edward's room.

Once we the bedroom door was closed behind us, we both relaxed. We were calmer now, not so on edge. Jasper flicked the television on, turning to a documentary on Civil War times, whilst I grabbed my new book off the bedside table. I was halfway through it, preferring to read at a human pace and take my time, so I quickly found my page, cuddling up next to Jasper on the sofa. He wrapped an arm around me and we sat together in silence; I loved that we didn't need words to communicate all the time.

After a while there was a gentle knock on the door. "Come in," Jasper said. The door opened to reveal an excited looking Alice.

"It's going to storm tonight!"

Jasper instantly turned his documentary off. "Are we playing?"

"Of course!" Alice was practically bouncing in place. "I'm going to tell Edward, see if Bella wants to watch the game."

"Oh, I'll come with you," I said. Jasper followed us down the hall, taking my hand as we walked. I smiled at him proudly, knowing it was just as difficult for him as it was for me. When we reached Edward's door, Alice was about to knock when we heard a low growl and a squeal.

"Don't you dare-" There was a thud, like someone crashing into the floor. Alice grinned, pushing the door open.

Edward had playfully pinned Bella to the floor and I laughed at the surprised look on her face.

"It sounded like you were having Bella for lunch, so we came to see if you would share," I joked and Jasper chuckled.

Edward smirked, pulling Bella into a sitting position. "Nah, I don't think I will."

"Rude," I mocked.

"We came to see if you would be playing baseball with us later," Alice told him. "There's a thunderstorm coming."

"Vampires play baseball?" Bella asked and we all laughed.

"Well, it is the American pastime," Edward said.

"Do you want to come, Bella?" I offered. "I watched them play when I was human, it's amazing."

"When you were human?"

"Ah, has Edward not told you?" I looked to the bronze-haired vampire who shook his head. "I was human when I met Jasper, last year." The blonde man in question smiled fondly at me.

"And he turned you?" Bella asked curiously.

"No, uh, Carlisle did. I was in a car accident. They didn't really have much of a choice." She nodded thoughtfully. "Anyway," I said. "You should come to the game, it's great fun."

"I'm really bad at sports," she replied.

"You wouldn't actually be playing, love," said Edward. "We're too fast, you wouldn't keep up."

"But you can cheer us on, Bella," I encouraged. "I'm sure Esme would appreciate some help umpiring."

"Please come," Alice begged. "Please, please, please!"

"Uh, sure," Bella agreed. "I'll ask Charlie when I get home."

"I'll drive you," Edward said, getting up.

"We should go," I added. "Emmett will be getting antsy to set up."

Waving to Bella, we left. Downstairs, Emmett was already dressed in his baseball clothes, chomping at the bit to start playing.

"You're not even dressed yet!" he whined at us and I laughed.

"We've got ages," Jasper said. "Edward's just taking Bella home."

Emmett groaned and Rose smacked the back of his head, to my amusement. "Idiot," she muttered.

"Babe!"

I giggled, turning to Jasper. "I'm going to change."

"I'll be up in a minute," he told me, kissing me softly.

I smiled, heading upstairs. I couldn't wait to see Bella's face when saw how we played baseball. Talk about extreme sports.

**TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT**

We were all gathered at the large field, setting up the baseball diamond. Jasper was doing some fancy flips and tricks with an aluminium bat, using it to poke me in the side every now and then, teasingly.

"Jazz, stop!" I laughed. He was nudging me with the bat. I spun around, swiping the bat from his hand and flashing around him.

"Hey!" He chased after me, catching me from behind and lifting me up. Jasper whirled us around in circles, both of us laughing. I could hear Emmett's booming laughter and Esme's giggles as they watched us.

The sound of Emmett's jeep pulling up to the field distracted us. Edward sped around the car, lifting Bella out of the jeep.

"Good thing you're here," Esme greeted. "We need an umpire."

Emmett grinned widely. "She thinks we cheat."

"I know you cheat," Esme told him. "Call them as you see them, Bella."

"It's time!" Alice called from the pitcher's mound. A deep rumble echoed through the forest and we took our places. Rosalie and Carlisle fought over the bat, Rose winning. I stood with Jasper and Carlisle as Alice pitched the ball. There was a _CRACK_ as the bat connected with the baseball and I heard Bella say to Esme, "Now I get why you need the thunder."

Rose had smashed the ball straight towards the trees, Emmett and Edward both sprinting after it.

"That has to be a home run."

"Edward's very fast," Esme disagreed.

Rose whipped around the bases and Edward launched the ball back to home plate. Esme caught it barely a second before Rosalie skidded in. Everyone looked at Bella for her decision.

"You're out?" she said warily.

Esme nodded and Rose stood up, glaring at the human girl.

"Nice kitty," teased Carlisle, heading to bat next. Edward and Emmett, again, rushed for the ball, this time colliding in mid-air with a noise like boulders crashing. They laughed, pushing each other.

Jasper was next, still doing tricks with his bat. "Go on, baby!" I cheered and he winked at me. He smacked the ball straight into the forest, but before anyone could run there was a sharp gasp from Alice.

"Stop! I didn't see them…"

The seven of us immediately gathered around Esme and Bella, Jasper keeping close to my side.

"They're travelling so quickly," Alice told us. _The nomad coven_ , I thought.

"You said they left the country," Rose frowned.

"They were, but then they heard is and changed their minds." Alice looked nervously at Edward.

He looked at Bella. "Put your hair down."

"Like that'll help," Rosalie sniped. "I could smell her from across the field."

Edward just ignored her, attempting to disguise Bella's pulse with her long hair. "I shouldn't have brought you here, I'm sorry."

Footsteps came from behind us and the nomads entered the field. They were ragged and barefoot, covered in muck. The leader, a dark-skinned man with crimson eyes held up our baseball. "I believe this belongs to you?" He had a strong French accent that reminded me a little of my mother's own accent. He tossed the ball to Carlisle who caught it, smiling politely.

"Thank you."

"I am Laurent," he introduced. "This is Victoria, and James." He gestured to his coven.

"I'm Carlisle, this is my family: Esme, Emmett, Rosalie, Edward, Bella, Alice, Jasper and Davina."

The blonde man, James, was watching us in a way that creeped me out slightly. I took a small step back, Jasper moving, very slightly, in front of me.

"I'm afraid your hunting activities have caused something of a mess for us," said Carlisle.

"Our apologies," Laurent frowned. "We didn't realise the territory had been claimed."

"Yes, we maintain a permanent residence." The three exchanged surprised looks.

"Really? Well, we won't be a problem anymore," said Laurent. "Could you use three more players?"

"Of course, a few of us were just leaving," Carlisle nodded. "Would you like to bat first?"

Unfortunately, as we were taking our places, the wind changed direction. Bella's scent blew straight across the field. James whipped around, nostrils flaring and his eyes locked onto Bella. "You brought a snack."

Edward crouched in front of Bella, the rest of us taking defensive positions around them. Edward snarled at James, who growled menacingly.

"The girl is with us," Carlisle warned them.

"We won't harm her," promised Laurent.

"Just _try_ it," snapped Emmett.

"I think it best if you leave," Carlisle sighed.

"Yes, I can see the game is over," the Frenchman agreed. "We will go now. James?"

James slowly followed his coven mates back into the woods, but his scarlet eyes never left Edward's topaz ones. As soon as they disappeared, we started packing up. I grabbed the spare bats, dumping them in the back of the jeep.

"Get Bella out of here," instructed Carlisle. "We'll follow them." He, Jasper and Rosalie raced after the nomads. Edward grabbed Bella, carrying her to the car. He struggled to strap her in hurriedly.

"Edward," I said. He moved to the driver's seat and I hopped in the back next to Bella, strapping her in quickly. Emmett jumped in the back with us and Alice in the front.

"James is a tracker," Edward scowled. "I saw his mind. The hunt is his obsession, and my reaction set him off! I just made this his most exciting game ever."

Bella flinched and I pushed off my thirst to hold her hand.

"The first place he'll go is your house," Edward continued, talking to Bella. "He'll track your scent there."

She gasped, horrified. "What? Charlie's there! He's in danger because of me, because of us!"

"Then we'll lead the tracker away from him, somehow."

Eventually, they came up with the plan that they would stage a breakup for the chief's benefit and Bella would claim that she was going back to her mother.

When we got to the Swan house, Alice took Edward's place at the wheel and I moved into the passenger seat. Emmett ran a quick perimeter check. Bella burst out of the house and into her truck, driving off down the street. Alice and I followed her in the jeep, watching as Edward reached the truck and took over driving. Emmett landed in the back of the truck, startling Bella into screaming so loud that we could hear her from the jeep.

When we reached the house, we were surprised to see Laurent there.

"He came to warn us, about James," calmed Carlisle.

"I've grown tired of his games," Laurent told us. "But he's got unparalleled senses, absolutely lethal. I've never seen anything like him in three hundred years. The woman, Victoria, will back him – _don't_ underestimate her." He looked at Edward, apologetically. "I'm truly sorry for what's been unleashed here." Laurent left quickly.

We ran down to the garage; opening cupboards and packing supplies. "I've had to fight our kind before," Jasper said darkly. "We're hard to kill."

"But no impossible," Edward replied.

"We'll rip him apart and burn the pieces," Emmett growled.

Carlisle sighed unhappily. "I don't relish the thought of killing another creature, even a sadistic one like James."

"If he doesn't get to one of us first," muttered Rosalie.

"This is insane!" Bella panicked. "You can't put yourselves in danger like this, not for me."

"Too late."

" _Rosalie_!" I hissed.

Edward grabbed two sets of keys and threw one to Carlisle. "I'll run Bella South; you lead the tracker away –"

"No, Edward," Carlisle interrupted. "The tracker thinks you won't leave Bella, he'll follow you."

"Jasper and I will take her," I decided.

Edward shot me a look. "Do you really think that's the best idea?"

Jasper snarled but Alice cut them off before a fight could break out. "I'll go with them. We'll run her south. We'll keep her safe, Edward."

Edward huffed, frustrated, as he looked at Alice. "Can you keep your thoughts to yourself?"

She nodded and Edward hesitated before throwing me the keys to the Mercedes. I caught them, climbing in the passenger seat and letting Jasper drive.

Edward pulled some of Bella's clothes out of her bag. "Esme, Rosalie, put these on so the tracker will pick up Bella's scent."

"Why should I? What is she to me?" Rose asked.

"Rosalie," Carlisle snapped. "Bella is with Edward, she is a part of this family now. We protect her family."

Rose glared, storming off to change. Everyone quickly finished up, Alice and Bella getting into the back of the car.

"If any of you get hurt because of me –"

"We won't," said Edward. "There are five of us and two of them. When it's done, I'll come get you. You are my life now."

I shared a look with Jasper, knowing that it was the same for us. I couldn't imagine a life without him, let alone eternity. Edward pulled away finally, and Jasper peeled out of the garage. We sped down the roads leading out of Forks.


	20. Killing James

**This is just a little one.**

As we drove, Bella left messages for her mother. It was a twenty-four hour drive to Phoenix, Arizona. We booked into a hotel near the airport and Bella went straight for the bed to take a nap. Alice called Carlisle to check on things at Home and I ordered room service for when Bella woke up.

The three of us were sitting on the couch, staring at the news when she finally got up. She ignored the food on the table, instead sitting next to Alice.

"I wish he'd call," she sighed.

"You should eat," Alice told her.

"They could get hurt," Bella continued. "It's not worth it."

"Yes, it is," Jasper insisted. "Edward's changed since he found you. None of us want to look into his eyes for the next hundred years if he loses you. It's worth it."

Alice's head snapped up suddenly and she stared off into space.

"What do you see?" I asked gently.

"The tracker – he just changed course…"

Jasper quickly handed her a notepad and a pencil. "Where will it take him, Alice?"

"Mirrors. A room of mirrors." She drew faster, her eyes closing in order to focus on the vision more clearly.

"How do the visions work?" Bella asked. "Edward said they weren't always certain."

"She sees the course people are on, while they're on it," I explained. "If they change their minds, the visions change."

Bella looked at Alice's drawing. "So the course James is on now will leave him to a ballet studio?"

"You've been here?" Alice asked her.

"No… I don't know. I used to take ballet lessons as a kid. The school had an arch like that."

"Was your school here in Phoenix?" asked Jasper.

Yeah, around the corner from my house, but I haven't been there in ten years."

"Do you have any reason to go now?"

"No, hell no. I hated the place."

I frowned. Bella's phone suddenly rang and she gave a relieved sigh when she checked the caller I.D.

"Edward, are you alright?"

" _I'm coming to get you. We lost the tracker. The woman is still in the area. Rosalie and Esme are protecting your father_."

"This is my fault. You warned me, but I didn't think. I just…"

" _Bella…_ "

"When will you get here?"

" _In a couple hours, then you and I will go somewhere together. The others will keep hunting. Bella, I swear I will do whatever it takes to make you safe again._ "

**TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT**

Alice and I were checking out of the hotel and Jasper was loading the bags into the car. Bella had gone to the toilet before we left. Alice was paying the bill when I realised that Bella was taking too long.

"Alice, I'm just going to check on Bella." She nodded and I made my way over to the bathrooms.

"Bella?" I called, checking the cubicles. They were all empty. "Shit!"

I dashed back to reception, finding Alice and Jasper waiting for me. "Bella's gone! She's run off."

"What?" Alice gaped. "Why didn't I see her leaving?"

I scowled, angry at myself. "I explained how your visions work." I dropped my head into my hands and Jasper pulled me in for a hug.

"Darlin', this is _not_ your fault," he told me. "Nobody thought she'd be stupid enough to run off."

Alice was on the phone to Edward, frantically explaining about Bella running off.

"Where is she?" I worried. "Where would she have gone?"

"The ballet studio," Alice said. "The others just landed, we're meeting them there."

Jasper drove like a madman to the ballet studio, Alice giving directions as we went. We rushed out of the car, smashing sounds coming from inside the building. Emmett and Carlisle arrived just as we did, having ran from the airport. Edward must have been inside already.

Jasper and Emmett went straight for James, who was pinned against the wall by Edward, Carlisle trying to calm him down. Alice ran for Bella who was screaming on the floor. I went to follow but stopped at the sight and smell of fresh human blood. My ears rang and I couldn't concentrate on anything but the red.

"Davina!"

I shook my head, focusing on Alice. She nodded to where Emmett was holding James, keeping him away from Bella, who was now surrounded by Carlisle and Edward. I darted forward, helping Jasper rip up the floor boards. He flicked a lighter out of his pocket and set the pile of wood on fire. James fought harder against Emmett and Jasper had to help drag him back. My eyes met Jasper's and he nodded.

I lunged, grabbing James' jaw and twisting hard. He struggled, making eye contact. His blood-red eyes burned into mine furiously. " _Stop struggling_ ," I hissed and his body seemed to relax. Ignoring it for now, I clenched my hands around James' throat. His head detached with a sound like glass splintering and I threw it into the fire. The boys made quick work of destroying the rest of the body.

Bella's screams had stopped and I turned to see Edward carrying her outside.

"James bit her," Carlisle explained to us. "Edward sucked the venom out so she won't turn but her leg is broken and she has lost a lot of blood. She needs to go to the hospital."

"We need to come up with an explanation for her parents," Alice said.

In the end, it was decided that Carlisle would tell Bella's parents, and the hospital, that she tripped down a set of stairs and fell through a window at the hotel when going to see Edward who had come to convince her to go back to Forks. Alice and I even went back to the hotel to 'set the scene' as it were. I think Alice actually enjoyed smashing that window.

Edward and Carlisle stayed in Phoenix to validate the story with Chief Swan and to check on Bella, while the rest of us drove back to Forks. Esme and Rosalie were relieved that we were alright, though Rose seemed a little cold about Bella's injuries.

**TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT**

"Hey."

I looked up from the book I was reading to see Jasper leaning against the doorway to our bedroom. We had been back from Arizona for a week now; Bella, Edward and Carlisle had returned two days ago.

"Hey," I smiled.

Jasper held a hand out. "Come with me?"

I placed my book on the table and stood up, taking his hand. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see," he said mysteriously.

Intrigued, I let Jasper lead me out of the house. We ran into the woods and when we stopped, we were in a clearing. It was full of flowers and it seemed so peaceful.

"Where are we?" I wondered.

"Edward comes here to think sometimes," said Jasper. "I told him I wanted to take you somewhere special and he suggested here."

"It's beautiful," I breathed, looking around.

"Not as beautiful as you," he told me and I smiled shyly. "I, uh, I brought you here to ask you something."

"What?" I gasped. _Holy crap! Is this a proposal?_ I thought to myself.

Jasper took both my hands in his, pulling me closer. "Davina Emilia Haywood – yes, I'm using the middle name – will you do me the honour… of being my date to prom?"

I giggled. "You're such a goof! But yes. Yes, I will be your prom date."

Jasper grinned, wrapping his arms around my waist and lifting me up. He pressed kissed me fiercely and I wound my legs around his waist. After several long moments, we pulled away and I rested my forehead against his.

"You know," I said. "For a second there, I thought you might be proposing."

Jasper chuckled, kissing my nose. "Not yet."


	21. Bella's Birthday

The summer passed by quickly. Prom had been an amazing, fun-filled night that ended with Jasper and I having following every cliché about prom – including our first time together. The rest of the summer was spent in a haze of romance and a spontaneous visit to see Peter and Charlotte, Jasper's closest friends outside of the Cullens. We spent three weeks at their ranch in Texas, the secluded area giving us a chance to be ourselves even in the sun.

Eventually, however, we, meaning Alice, Jasper, Edward and myself, had to go back to school. Rosalie and Emmett had been travelling around Africa for the last few weeks, since they had graduated. We had been back at school for just over a week and today was Bella's eighteenth birthday.

Alice, of course, was especially excited since it gave her an excuse to shop. Not that she needed one. The tiniest vampire in the family had decided to throw Bella a party, though I knew that Bella would be reluctant. She really did hate being the centre of attention.

"There she is!" Alice grinned. The two of us and Jasper had been waiting for Bella at school. Alice hopped the rail, while Jasper and I used the stairs like normal people. I smirked at Bella's stunned expression when Alice all but shoved a gift into her face.

"Happy-"

"Shhh!" Bella hushed as Alice hugged her.

"-birthday!" Alice whispered.

Bella looks over to us and I smile sweetly at her, silently mouthing, "Happy birthday." She returned the smile awkwardly and looked around to see if anyone had spotted the giant gift box. For some reason, she was being really weird about turning eighteen.

"Alice, didn't I say no gifts?"

"You did. I didn't. I've already seen you open it and guess what? You love it!"

Bella frowned slightly. "You had a vision about my birthday?" she asked flatly.

"And about the dress you'll be wearing to your party tonight – great colour on you."

"My party?"

" _Please_?" Alice begged. "It'll be fun."

Bella sighed. "I guess…"

"Great!" Alice perked up. "See you at seven!" She hugged Bella quickly and hurries over to us before Bella can change her mind. I grinned, watching the realisation on Bella's face.

"Jasper! No fair with the mood control thing."

"Sorry, Bella," Jasper smirked. "Happy… Never mind." I giggled as we followed Alice down the hall, hearing Edward say, "Vampires. You can't trust them. Trust me."

"What are you giggling at?" Jasper asked softly.

"Nothing," I murmured, still smiling. "Hey, do you guys know why Bella's being so weird about her birthday?"

"She's freaking out about being older than Edward in human years," Alice explained. "I don't know why, though. It's only one year and technically, Edward's a lot older."

"It's still nothing for her to freak out over," I said.

"I agree," Jasper added. "She's going to be one of us some day anyway. It won't matter then."

"Exactly," Alice agreed. "And Edward needs to realise that he can deny it all he wants, but Bella will change. Some day."

**TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT**

"Oh, my God. Alice, seriously?" I asked.

"What? What's wrong?"

"Why is everything so pink?" The living room had been decorated for the birthday party with streamers candles and balloons, all of them bright pink. There were crystal bowls filled with pink rose petals and there was a three-tiered cake on the glass table, decorated with pink icing and edible pink glitter. "Alice, don't you think this is a bit much? Bella's not one for anything extravagant. And I'm pretty sure her favourite colour is _blue_."

"She'll love it," Alice assured. "I've seen it, remember?"

"Okay, well even so, what are we going to do with a three-tiered cake?" I wondered. "Bella will only have one slice, maybe two. Even if she takes some home for Charlie, the rest will go to waste."

"Don't worry, dear," Esme said from across the room. "Whatever's left over, I will take it to the homeless shelter in Port Angeles."

"Alright," I sighed. "Still, it's a lot."

"Just go and get ready, will you?" Alice shoved me towards the stairs. I sped up to the room I shared with Jasper, finding him already dressed and lounging on the sofa with a Civil War book. He looked up as I closed the door.

"Alice?" he asked.

"Alice," I replied. I flashed to the ensuite bathroom, taking a speedy shower to wash my hair. Vampires may not sweat or anything, but our hair still got greasy and the warm water felt nice. Ten minutes later, I had blow-dried my curls and done my make-up. I dressed in a dark blue dress that had two diamond cut-outs at the back and threw my hair into a high ponytail. Slipping into a pair of black heels, I was downstairs and standing with Jasper just in time for Alice to lead the birthday girl into the living room.

"Sorry about all this," Carlisle greeted her first. "We tried to rein Alice in."

"Like that's even possible," Esme joked. "Happy birthday, Bella."

There was a sudden flash and we all turned to see Alice with a camera. "I… Found it in your bag. Mind?" Bella just smiled slightly.

Emmett sidled over to Edward, nudging his side. "Dating an older woman. Hot." Edward elbowed him sharply but Bella had already heard and was giving them an awkward look. "What?" Emmett asked.

Rosalie chose that moment to step forward and give Bella a gift. "It's a necklace, Alice picked it out." Bella gave a short smile then caught sight of Jasper and I standing a little further away and waved. We waved back.

Alice was back at it with the camera. "Show me the love!" She took a picture of Bella and Edward and then dragged the poor human over to the gift table.

"Alice, I'm the only one who even eats cake," Bella told her, surprised by the giant cake. "That thing could feed fifty."

"Told you," I said, only to be glared at by Alice.

"Hope you're hungry," she said to Bella. "Here, this one's from Emmett." Bella was handed a gift, opening it to reveal an empty car radio box.

"Um… Thanks?"

I snorted and Emmett grinned. "Already installed it in your truck. Finally a decent sound system for that piece of-"

"Hey, no hating on the truck," Bella scolded. "Thank you, Emmett."

"Ours next!" I called and Alice smiled, handing Bella a blue gift bag.

Removing the tissue paper, Bella pulled the gift out and gasped. "This is a first edition Wuthering Heights. How…How did you get this?"

"We have connections," Jasper told her mysteriously and I giggled.

"Thank you!" she smiled widely. "Really, thank you."

"No problem," I replied.

"You're very welcome," agreed Jasper.

"Okay, now open mine!" Alice chirped, skipping forward with her present.

Bella started pulling the wrapping paper away –

"Ouch! Paper cut."

I couldn't focus on anything but that tiny red drop of blood on Bella's fingertip. I knew my eyes had gone dark and I barely heard the small growl that came out of me. A matching, louder one came from next me: Jasper. We moved at the same. Jasper lunged straight for Bella, a snarl on his face, and I copied. As Rosalie flashed forward, grabbing me tightly, Edward shoved Bella back, away from us and she crashed into the table. Jasper slammed into Edward but I couldn't focus properly.

"Davina… Davina!" My eyes met Rose's and she moved her hands to my face. "Hey, it's okay. It's just Bella. It's okay, calm down. Calm down." Gaining some sense back, I instantly held my breath, blocking the scent of fresh blood. Jasper was still struggling against Edward and Emmett and Alice was trying to calm him down but soon came distracted. We all turned to Bella who was sitting up near the table. The glass plates had fallen and smashed around her, some of the glass cutting her arm. The blood was starting to pool on Esme's cream carpet.

Carlisle was suddenly at Bella's side. "Get them out of here," he told the others, gesturing to me and Jasper. Nobody moved. "Emmett."

Shaking his thirst away, Emmett dragged Jasper from the room, and Rose and I followed quickly. We followed them to the woods and the second I caught the scent of a stag, I pounced. With my thirst temporarily satisfied, I ran back to the others. Jasper was sitting on a large rock, Emmett and Rose standing nearby. The dead body of a bear lay at the bottom of the rock and Jasper's jumper was covered in blood, his face in his hands. Emmett and Rose saw me coming and nodded, heading off back to the house. I walked over to Jasper, perching next to him on the rock.

"Jasper." He didn't move. "Jasper, look at me." Slowly, his head raised and his dark amber eyes met mine. "Baby, it wasn't your fault."

"Davina…"

"No! It is _not_ your fault! Do you understand me?" He stared blankly at me. "Jasper, you do realise that you're an empath, right? You _do_ have control, you really do. How many times over the summer did Peter and Charlotte come back from a hunt covered in human blood, huh? You never once attacked. There were seven other vampires in that room when Bella cut herself and one of them was me. I'm still a newborn, technically. I've only been a vampire for nearly a year. We were a _ll_ tempted in there, and you aren't the only one who acted on it. But you are the only one who could feel everyone else's thirst as well as your own. So don't you _dare_ blame yourself for any of this, Jasper Whitlock, don't you dare!"

It was silent for a moment and then suddenly I was being kissed. Jasper pulled back, resting his forehead against mine, his breath softly brushing my cheeks. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. I love you."

"I love you too, darlin'."

After a few minutes, we decided to head back to the house. When we got there, Bella was gone and the rest of the family was sitting around the dining table.

"What's going on?" I asked.

Edward looked over at us. "We're leaving."


	22. Leaving Forks and Turning Eighteen

_**Hi Guys! I'm sorry for the long wait. I've had a busy few weeks with my 21st birthday, my graduation from university and then a holiday, and I forgot to take my laptop away with me. Thank you all for being so patient and please enjoy the chapter!**_

"What do you mean, we're leaving?" I demanded.

"We're leaving Forks," Edward explained. "Carlisle is barely passing for thirty-two. The staff at the hospital will be getting suspicious. Not to mention the incident tonight."

"That was an accident, Edward," Esme soothed. "None of us would deliberately try to hurt Bella, you know that."

"But Davina and Jasper could have killed her tonight!" he snapped. "Because they're dangerous, we all are!"

"Edward, Bella knew what she was getting into when she agreed to be with you," Alice said. "She knows the risks, especially after what happened with James."

"But that's exactly my point. What happened with James never would have happened if I hadn't put Bella in danger to begin with; if I had just stayed in Alaska. She nearly died."

"I don't understand why you didn't just let her turn," Alice frowned. "You know it will happen eventually, Edward, so why fight it? It's what Bella wants, anyway."

"You know damn well why I won't change her, Alice!" Edward snarled. "I don't want to condemn her soul to hell for my own selfishness! She deserves a human life with a human man, who could give her children and grow old with her!"

"Edward, calm down," I said. "Look, I'm sorry for what happened earlier, I really am. And so is Jasper. But you have to understand that it was just an accident. I mean, look what happened with me – Emmett could have killed me that day, any of you could, but it never happened. You all stopped us tonight and Bella's fine."

"We still have to leave," he insisted. "What if we hadn't been able to stop you? You I can understand losing control, Davina, but Jasper? He's not a newborn like you, he should have more control!"

"Says the man who nearly killed Bella the first day he met her!" I growled, getting angry.

"I am not the one who nearly killed her tonight!" he yelled back.

"You could have! You shoved her into a table full of glass plates! What did you think would happen?"

"ENOUGH!" Carlisle shouted. "Both of you; calm down. Edward, you cannot blame Jasper and Davina for what happened tonight. It was an accident but we cannot change it now. All we can do is decide the next step. We don't have to leave until after you have all graduated. I'm sure Bella does not blame anyone for tonight's occurrence."

"We have to leave," Edward maintained. "I cannot let Bella be in any more danger than she has been already. I am leaving, with or without you all."

"Son…"

"No, Carlisle," he said. "I have to go."

"Then we will all go with you," Carlisle reluctantly agreed.

"I don't agree with this," said Alice.

"Neither do I," I added.

"Well, I think it's great," Rosalie interjected. "She should never have been involved in our lives anyway – Oh, you know I don't mean _you_ shouldn't have, Davina. Anyway, Bella's still human and I think she should stay that way. She has no idea what she would be getting into. Davina can control herself well for a newborn but it's unlikely that Bella with have the same luck and I have no doubt that she will regret it when she realises how much of a struggle it is dealing with the thirst."

"Does anyone else have anything they want to say?" Carlisle asked. "Emmett, Jasper? Esme?"

"Whatever makes you happy, Edward," Esme murmured softly, though she looked sad. I knew she loved Bella as one of her own, like the rest of us.

"I'll go wherever Rose wants," Emmett said.

"Jasper?" Edward asked.

Jasper sighed. "Edward, please don't leave Bella because of me. I'll leave, but you don't have to. I'm so sorry."

"Jasper, it's not your fault," I said. "We've had this discussion! You feel everyone else's thirst as well, remember?"

"She's right, man," agreed Emmett. "It's not your fault."

"Jasper, it's not just you," Edward told him. "I'm a danger to Bella too. And besides, like I said, people will grow suspicious soon."

"Then it's settled," said Carlisle. "We're leaving Forks."

"Tomorrow," added Edward.

"Edward!" I scowled. "We can't just leave tomorrow? That's just going to make people more suspicious. And anyway, I grew up here, I have people to say goodbye to."

"You mean your human friends who have barely spoken two words to you since your parents died?" he asked snidely.

"That's not fair," I mumbled.

"You're all leaving tomorrow," Edward decided. "I will leave the day after; I have to explain everything to Bella."

"You mean we don't even get to say goodbye to her?" Alice asked sadly. Esme looked just as devastated and I was upset myself: Bella had become family to all of us. Even Rosalie, though she would never admit it, had come to care a little about the human girl, which is why she always fought against turning her into a vampire.

"A clean break will be better for her," Edward told her. "She's only human, she'll move on."

"We won't," Alice sobbed.

"We have to," Edward said. And then he was gone.

It was silent for a moment before Carlisle spoke up. "I suppose we should start packing up. Jasper, could you organise for the movers to be here tomorrow morning, please?"

"Of course," my boyfriend said.

Reluctantly, we all began to move about the house at our supernatural speed, packing up everything we could.

"Where will we go?" I asked Jasper as I quickly folded our clothes into suitcases.

"The next place we have set up is in Ithaca," he said.

"What will we do there?"

"What we always do." Jasper finished boxing up his desk and the bookshelves as I zipped the suitcases. He came over to me, wrapping his arms around my waist. I rested my hands on his biceps. "We'll blend in, get jobs, go to school."

"You really want to start high school all over again?" I questioned.

"Well," he smirked. "Maybe I'll go to college this time."

"No fair," I moaned. "I haven't even graduated yet. Unlike, some, this is my first time in high school."

"So young," Jasper teased.

"Shut up," I nudged him. He leaned forward, pressing a kiss to my temple before pulling away completely.

"I need to call the movers, and Jenks," he sighed. "We might need some new identities." Jenks was a man who worked for Jasper, forging any necessary paperwork without asking questions or telling anyone. He didn't know about vampires but he knew that Jasper hadn't aged a day in the twenty-five years since Jenks had taken over from the previous guy, and he was terrified of Jasper.

"Okay," I said. "I'm going to see if any of the others need help."

**TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT**

The drive to Ithaca, New York, was approximately forty-four hours, though with our driving, we made it in thirty-nine. By the time we arrived, the movers were already putting the large things, like the sofas and desks, shelves and beds into the house, having started their journey a few hours before we had. We had all decided to hunt before leaving Forks. All we had to unpack was our personal items and put the beds together once we picked a room.

Jasper and I chose a fairly large room, with enough space for a similar layout as we'd had in the Forks house, thought he walls were cream instead of forest green. Jazz and Emmett made quick work of putting our bed together, Emmett making dirty jokes the whole time, and I dug out a fresh set of sheets. Within three hours, the entire house had been unpacked and the shared areas, like the living room, were exactly the way Esme liked them.

We had barely been at the house for a week when Edward left us. He hadn't called since he left, but Alice had assured us that he was alive and apparently hunting for Victoria. Alice herself had been searching for information on her human life. After watching the tape that James had made to taunt Edward, she had realised that James was the vampire who had turned her and she wanted to know more about her history. Alice and I had visited the archives of the local library and discovered that Alice had a sister named Cynthia who had a daughter who was still alive and lived in Biloxi. We found articles from newspapers that showed her parents' engagement announcements, and Cynthia's, as well as Alice's birth and death dates which had led to our discovery of Alice's grave and her admission into the asylum.

Jasper and I had both enrolled into school; Jasper was studying Philosophy and History in college, while I was working towards completing high school and getting my GED online. With the help of our newly forged identities, courtesy of Jenks, I was also enrolled in college with Jasper, studying History and Event Planning. The two subjects had nothing to do with each other but I found them both interesting and my vampire brain allowed for more courses than I would have been able to process as a human.

About a month after we had left Forks, Emmett and Rosalie decided to continue their trip around Africa, having taken a break to visit for Bella's party. Carlisle was still working as a doctor, while Esme had taken up some Interior Design work.

Before I knew it, it was December 16th and my eighteenth birthday. I had begged Alice not to throw me a party but my suspicions grew when she easily agreed, instead taking me on an all-night 'girl's night' hunting trip the night before my birthday. When we arrived back at the house, it was quiet. I assumed that Esme was at a planning meeting and Carlisle was at the hospital. I could hear the soft strumming of Jasper's guitar coming from upstairs. There was a small pile of neatly wrapped gifts on the dining room table and Alice grinned.

"The top two are from Rose and Emmett, they sent them from Africa. The pink gift bag is from me, obviously, and the blue one is from Carlisle and Esme."

"Thanks, Alice," I smiled. "You guys didn't have to get me anything, though."

"Don't be silly," Alice giggled. "It's your eighteenth birthday; we weren't going to ignore it!" I nodded, happy that they had all thought of me despite the grief that was ever-present in our family at the moment. "Well, I will leave you to it, I'm helping Esme today. Happy birthday!" Alice was gone in a flash and I shook my head fondly.

I moved to the table to open the gifts that had been left to me, not noticing that the music from upstairs had stopped. Opening the presents from Rose and Emmett, I received a gorgeous, large, handmade blue and gold blanket and a handmade blue shawl. From Alice I had gotten a stunning pair of black heels with a bow in the front and Carlisle and Esme had gotten me diamond heart studs. I had a feeling that they were real diamonds.

I was gathering the wrapping paper to put in the trash when I felt two hands gently grip my waist from behind. Smiling softly, I leaned back into Jasper's chest, inhaling his familiar comforting scent.

"Happy birthday, darlin'," he whispered in my ear.

"Thank you," I hummed happily.

"So, what would the birthday princess like to do on her special day?" Jasper asked, as I turned in his arms to hug him properly.

"Hmm… Could always start with you?" I teased and he smirked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well now, that is an idea I could get behind," he said. Jasper leaned forward, kissing my cheek and dragging his nose gently down to my collar bone, where he gave a little nip that caused me to giggle.

**TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT**

Later that afternoon, I was getting ready to go out with Jasper, who refused to tell me where we were going. I paired my new heels from Alice with a royal blue dress that came to just above my knees, the skirt flaring out slightly, and had long, lace sleeves. I pulled my curls into a half-up style and applied winged eyeliner, mascara and dark pink lipstick, adding the earrings from Carlisle and Esme. Grabbing my clutch bag that was the same blue shade as my dress, I tossed in my phone and purse before heading downstairs to meet Jasper.

He was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs, looking illegally gorgeous in a black suit and royal blue tie. _Alice_ , I thought, knowing that was how he would have known to match my dress.

"You look magnificent," Jasper complimented, and I knew if I were still human I would be blushing bright red now.

"Thank you," I smiled shyly. "You look so handsome."

"Why, thank you, ma'am," he grinned and I rolled my eyes, muttering, "Don't call me ma'am."

Jasper chuckled, offering me his arm to escort me to the car in his gentlemanly way. "So, are you going to tell me where we're going?" I asked, as we pulled out of the driveway.

"Nope," he grinned.

"Jasper!" I groaned. "I hate surprises!"

"You'll like this one," he promised.

After about twenty minutes of me trying to persuade Jasper to tell me our destination, we finally arrived and my eyebrows rose when I saw where we were.

"The State Theatre?" I asked. "What are we seeing?"

"You'll see."

Jasper hid the tickets from me when showing them to the usher and I only grew more curious as we were shown to a private balcony overlooking the theatre with a perfect view of the stage. We sat down just as the lights dimmed. I watched curiously as the curtain lifted, only to gasp with excitement as I realised what we here for.

"Oh, Jasper…" I murmured. He had taken me to see the Swan Lake Ballet. It had been my favourite ballet performance since I had first seen it with my parents when I was six years old, my second favourite being the Nutcracker Ballet. I hadn't been to a ballet since my parents had passed away and I became a vampire. "You remembered."

"Of course," he said gently, stroking the fingers on my right hand which was clasped in both of his as I leaned into him. "How could I forget your favourite ballet?"

I grinned, cuddling into Jasper to enjoy the performance.

**TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT**

"That was amazing!" I gushed. We were back in the car and I had not stopped smiling. "Thank you so much, Jasper."

"You're very welcome," Jasper chuckled. "You deserve it, after the hell you've been through this last year or so."

I squeezed his thigh, grateful for his sweetness and then frowned slightly as we pulled up to a park. "I thought we were going home?"

"This is our last stop before we go home," Jasper explained. He flashed around the car to open the door for, offering his hand. We strolled arm-in-arm, discussing the performance and just generally enjoying each other's company. We reached a large fountain in the centre of the park and I thought it was rather romantic with the small lights illuminating the water while everywhere else was only lit by moonlight and distant streetlamps. I sat on the edge of the fountain and pulled a quarter out of my purse. Closing my eyes, I thought hard before tossing the coin into the fountain to join the many others at the bottom.

"What was that for?" Jasper asked curiously.

"I made a wish."

"What did you wish for?"

"If I tell you, it won't come true," I joked, and then I grew a little serious. "Actually, I was just wishing that Edward would be alright, wherever he is. And that he would call, at least for Esme's peace of mind." I trailed my fingertips slowly through the water.

"I'm sure he is," Jasper reassured me. "He'll call or come home when he's ready. He just needs some time. God knows how I would be if I ever lost you."

I smirked slightly. "If you ever pull an Edward and leave me 'for my own good', I'll have to hunt you down and have Peter kill you."

"Peter?"

"Well, I'd never be able to do it myself, no matter how angry I get," I said and took my hand.

"You never have to worry about that," Jasper told me. "Edward is an idiot and I would never do something so stupid as to leave the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"Aw, Jasper," I smiled, venom gathering in my eyes.

"I'm serious," he continued. "If I ever do something that utterly idiotic, please do have Peter kill me. I love you, Davina, with everything that I am. I'm not sure if I agree with Carlisle's theory that vampires have souls or if I agree with Edward that we don't, but if I do still have a soul then it's yours, entirely. My heart feels like it will beat again any second every time I lay eyes on you and your smile… God, that smile is the one thing I aspire to see every day because I can't bear to see you upset. I adore that you cuddle into me to feel safe and that you're content to just sit and listen to me play guitar. You make me so happy and I want to spend eternity doing the same for you." Jasper pulled something out of his pocket, slowly leaning down to kneel on one knee. He opened the box in his hand to reveal a stunning diamond ring. My jaw dropped. "Davina Emilia Haywood, I love you, I adore you. Will you marry me?"

"Yes!"


	23. New Arrival and Wedding Plans

_**So, this chapter may seem a bit rushed, but I am trying to squeeze in quite a bit in order to get through New Moon faster as it isn't my favourite in the series. Enjoy.**_

I had never heard anyone squeal as loud as Alice had when she saw my engagement ring. Apparently, while she had known about the proposal, she had not foreseen the ring. Jasper had purposefully not thought about it much after he'd decided which one to get in order to keep it from her. It made me happy that, aside from Jasper, I had been the first to see the ring. Sometimes it got to be very annoying that Alice knew things first, especially personal decisions. The rest of the family had been equally delighted for us; Emmett was particularly excited for a stag party. We had tried to call Edward to tell him the news but, since the jerk still wasn't answering his phone, Jasper ended up leaving him a message.

In other news, we had also discovered that we were not the only vampires in the area. Esme and Carlisle had caught a scent while on a hunt; though they hadn't seen the vampire it belonged to. We were all on our guard until we knew that the vampire had either left the area, or they revealed themselves.

As it turns out, we didn't have to wait long.

**TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT**

Jasper and I were sitting peacefully against a tree in the courtyard during a break between classes when Jasper suddenly sat up straight, his head tilted slightly to the right.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Do you smell that?"

I paused, taking in our surroundings. "Vampire."

"Yeah. What's it doing here?" Jasper wondered.

"Jasper, we're here and we're vampires."

"I know, I'm just wondering if it's the same one Carlisle and Esme nearly ran into."

"Should we try and find them?" I asked.

"I already did."

I followed Jasper stare to see a young man stood near the courtyard entrance, staring straight back at us. He was tall with fluffy blonde curls and aristocratic face, but what really caught my attention were his eyes: they were golden like ours. He was a vegetarian vampire. I relaxed a bit, but Jasper kept is wary stance, both of us now standing.

Finally, the other vampire ended the stand-off by slowly walking over to us. Neither Jasper nor I moved a muscle while he approached.

"Hello," he greeted. Even in that one word I could hear the sharp English lilt reminded me vaguely of Carlisle's accent.

"Hi," I smiled. Jasper just nodded cordially.

"Look, I'm not here to cause you any trouble –"

"Are you here alone?" Jasper cut him off. I nudged him in the ribs but he didn't react.

"Yes."

"No coven?"

"I'm alone," the mystery vampire reiterated. "The person who turned me left me to die. I don't think he realised he turned me; just had his fill and left. I was found by a nomad named Cory about three weeks after I turned. He found me hiding in the woods, terrified out of my mind. He taught me that I didn't have to kill humans; that's why I live off the animal diet. Cory is the only one I've met who was like me."

"Where is he?" I asked softly.

"He was killed two years ago by another coven of nomads. I haven't run into them since but I hope I get the chance to kill that _bitch_!" he hissed. The sudden aggressiveness caused Jasper to move in front of me slightly. "Sorry," the vampire murmured. "It just gets me so angry, thinking about her."

"Her?" Jasper frowned. "I thought there were three?"

"There were. Two guys and a woman. Even without our excellent memory, I would never forget that bright orange hair." This was starting to sound familiar.

"Was her name Victoria?" I asked.

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"We've had our own run in with that coven."

He nodded. "Are _you_ alone?"

"We have a coven," Jasper replied, still wary. "All vegetarians."

"All? How many of you are there?"

"Eight."

"Whoa. I've only ever met covens of three or four at the most."

"I'm Davina, by the way," I introduced. "This is Jasper."

"Mates, I'm guessing?" I nodded. "I'm Sebastian."

"You should come back with us," I said. "Jasper?"

"You should talk to Carlisle, at least," Jasper agreed.

Sebastian nodded. "Well, I brought my car so I might need directions."

"We drove as well," Jasper told him. "You can just follow us."

"Great, alright."

"Well, I think this warrants skipping our last class if you want to go now?" I asked.

"Sure. I have no classes now anyway, I was just following your guys' scent," Sebastian explained.

"You drive," I told Jasper. "I'll call Carlisle."

**TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT**

Jasper and I were sitting in the living room with Esme while Carlisle spoke with Sebastian in his office. Despite the fact that we could hear everything anyway, it at least gave some semblance of privacy. We listened as Sebastian explained how he became a vampire, his introduction to the animal diet and Cory's death. He also revealed that he had been a vampire for fifteen years and was eighteen when he turned. After twenty minutes of Sebastian explaining everything, Alice burst into the house.

"Is he here yet?"

"What?" I frowned.

"Sebastian! He's here, isn't he?"

"He's upstairs with Carlisle," I told her. "Alice, calm down. What did you see?"

"Sebastian is meant to be here, I've seen it," she shrugged. "He's meant to join our family."

"Well, Alice, don't you think that should be Sebastian's choice?" Carlisle's calm voice came from the doorway, the vampire in question hovering shyly behind him.

"Haven't you already offered?" Alice asked cheekily.

"I have. But it should still be his choice," Carlisle smiled. "I also think that Sebastian should meet the others before deciding whether he wishes to stay with us permanently."

"That's a good idea," agreed Esme. She turned to smile kindly at Sebastian. "Hello, dear, I'm Esme. It's lovely to meet you."

"Hello, Esme," he murmured. "Thank you all for meeting with me."

"Your welcome!" Alice chirped. "I'm Alice."

"Sebastian."

"I know," she grinned.

"Right, you heard." If it were possible, Sebastian would likely be blushing now and I smirked a little.

"Plus, she can see the future," I added casually.

Sebastian's jaw dropped. "Seriously?"

"Seriously," Alice nodded.

"That is so cool!"

We all laughed a bit as he and Carlisle joined us, Carlisle sitting next to Esme and Sebastian perching next to Alice on the loveseat opposite Jasper and I.

"Do you have a power?" Esme asked curiously.

"No," he said. "Cory did though, he was a technopath."

"The ability to control electronics?" Carlisle wondered. "That's a first for me. Then again, so is Davina's power."

"You have a power?" Sebastian asked me.

"Yeah," I said. "I don't really know how to control it though. It comes and goes."

"What do you do?"

"Davina has the ability of mental manipulation," Carlisle explained.

"Mind control?" Sebastian gaped.

"Yeah. I haven't really used it much," I said.

"Two powers in one coven, that's something," he grinned. "I've only heard of multiple powers in a coven with the Volturi. But then, you're the biggest coven I've ever met."

"Not just two powers," Alice told him. "Jasper can feel and manipulate emotions, he's an empath. And Edward can read minds."

" _Whoa_." Sebastian sat back, a little shocked. "That is… intense. "Where's the rest of your coven?"

"The rest of our family are travelling," Carlisle explained. "Emmett and Rosalie are in Africa, I believe. Unfortunately, we do not know Edward's current whereabouts."

"Oh," Sebastian blinked. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to –"

"Its fine," Alice interrupted. "Edward is just being a dick right now."

"Alice, you know your brother is suffering!" Esme scolded.

"Yeah, but he's still a dick," the pixie muttered.

I snorted. "Agreed."

"Girls," Esme frowned.

"Sorry, Esme, but it's true," I scowled. "He could at least call and let us know he's safe. We're suffering too."

Jasper wrapped an arm around my shoulders, bringing me closer to him, and ribbing his thumb over the exposed skin of my collarbone.

"Yeah, he's not the only one who misses Bella," Alice said sadly.

"Um… Who's Bella?"

"Edward's mate," I explained softly. "She's human though, and Edward left her behind thinking it would keep her safe from this life. We had a… incident with the same coven you did. James tried to kill Bella and we killed him."

"Wow, I'm so sorry," he apologised.

"Thanks," I smiled a bit. "Edward will come around eventually. We're just worried about him."

"So, I will get to meet the others?" he asked.

"Yes," Carlisle said. "Emmett and Rose should be back from their trip next week. In the meantime, you are welcome to stay as long as you like. I'm sure Alice already has a room in mind for you."

"I do, indeed," Alice grinned. "Come on, I'll show you!" She grabbed the blonde boy's hand and dragged him up the stairs, presumably to one of the two spare bedrooms we had.

"Well, he seems nice," I said and Jasper chuckled, his chest vibrating against my arm.

"Alice certainly seems to think so," Esme smiled and I laughed.

"Yeah, well maybe it's high time she got her own happiness," I said.

"We can hear you!" Alice called from upstairs.

I just smiled, cuddling into Jasper. Now all we needed was for Edward to sort himself out and get his ass home already.

**TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT**

I was happy to have Emmett and Rosalie home. We were almost back to normal, as the majority of our family, now including Sebastian, were together. The blonde had settled in well, particularly with Emmett who was happy to have a new person to wrestle with. Carlisle and Jasper had sorted out some papers for Sebastian, declaring him as Carlisle's recently orphaned nephew from England. He kept his own surname, Fenn, the story being that his mother was Carlisle's older sister.

In the three months since Sebastian had joined our family, Christmas and New Year had come and gone without any contact from Edward. Jasper and I had been busy with wedding planning and Alice had insisted on designing my dress. We were having a small ceremony in the large back garden. Only our family, the Denali's and Peter and Charlotte were going to be there. We had left Edward more messages but we had no idea whether he would turn up. I had asked Carlisle to give me away in the absence of my own father and was very pleased when he had happily agreed.

The night before the wedding, Rosalie and Alice banished Jasper from the house, so the boys, including Peter who had arrived with Charlotte the day before, took Jasper hunting for his stag party. Despite our inability to sleep, Alice had bought pyjamas for all of us girls and we were sitting in the living room for 'slumber party'. Charlotte and Alice had a stare down over movie choice until Esme pointed out that, since it was technically my party, I should get first choice of what to watch. Needless to say, the first film we watched was The Princess Bride, and I was appalled to discover that Charlotte had never seen it.

While Alice was doing my manicure ready for the next day, Rosalie double checked that my dress and the three bridesmaid dresses (Rose, Alice and Charlotte) were in perfect condition. Peter was going to be Jasper's best man, the pair of them having been practically brothers for a century; Peter even took the surname Whitlock, as did Charlotte once they were married. Emmett and Sebastian were groomsmen, as was Edward if he came. He still had not contacted us, and I was getting less sad about it, instead becoming angrier at his selfishness.

"There's still time, sweetheart," Esme soothed. "I'm sure he'll turn up."

"I hope so," I sighed. "Jasper's fuming. He left a really angry message on Edward's voicemail this morning. I tried calling him earlier but I couldn't even leave a message, his mailbox is too full."

"If Edward does turn up tomorrow, we might have to keep him away from Jasper," Rose joked.

"He won't do anything," I laughed. "I might kill Edward though."

Charlotte snorted. "I think if anything ruins tomorrow, we'd all have _Alice_ to fear."

We all laughed. "True," the tiny vampire conceded. "A lot of effort has gone into this wedding. I will be feeling murderous if it goes wrong."

"Calm down, Alice," I grinned. "I can't believe it's my wedding and _you're_ the bridezilla!"

"Bride-what?" asked Charlotte, a confused look on her face as she looked away from the television.

"Never mind," I smiled, shaking my head fondly. Whilst Charlotte and Peter owned a private ranch in Texas, they couldn't stay there permanently without raising the risk of suspicion. Their semi-nomadic lifestyle meant that they often didn't get popular references and common sayings, though Peter's gift of _'just knowing shit'_ helped him out quite a bit.

"Right," said Alice firmly. She put the cap on the bottle of clear nail polish she had been using to finish of my French manicure. "Do _not_ ruin that before tomorrow or there _will_ be something to worry about."

"Thanks Alice." I got up from where we were sat opposite from each other with the coffee table between us, moving to the couch next to Esme. "Rose, you're up."

The rest of the night continued in much if the same fashion: movies, gossip and a hilarious phone conversation with Emmett about Sebastian's first ever take down of a bear. Apparently, it was too funny for him to wait and tell us the next day.

As I sat next to Esme, watching Bridesmaids, I fiddled with my engagement and thought to myself, _I'm getting married tomorrow!_

"Yes, you are," a voice said from behind me.

"Edward!" Esme gasped, darting up from the sofa and embracing him tightly. We had been so focused on the movie and preparations for tomorrow that none of us had heard him enter the house.

When Esme finally released him, I was the next to drag the bronze haired vampire into a tight hug. "You came!"

"Of course I did," Edward murmured. "I couldn't miss my favourite sister's wedding, could I?"

I grinned as an offended "Hey!" came from both Alice and Rosalie, but Edward appeared to be forgiven as Alice launched herself at him.

"Why didn't I see you coming?" she screeched.

"I kept changing my mind," Edward softly admitted. "I wasn't sure if I was coming or not. As it is, I'm only here for tomorrow and then I have to go."

"Why do you _have_ to go?" Rose snarked. She was stood leaning her weight on one leg and her arms crossed in a classic 'bitch stance', a sneer on her face. Charlotte hovered awkwardly in the background.

"I have to find Victoria."

"You don't," Rose argued. "You already left Forks, Victoria is long gone."

"Enough!" I snapped. "Stop arguing! It's mine and Jasper's wedding tomorrow and all we want is to get married and celebrate with our closest family! Can we please just focus on that?"

"You're right," Rose sighed. "Sorry, Davina."

"Sorry," Edward muttered grouchily. "Look, you seem to be busy with all your… girl things, so I'm going to head upstairs and find a suit for tomorrow."

"I bought you one," Alice told him. "It's hanging in your wardrobe."

"Thanks," Edward turned to the stairs but then paused. "Is there someone else around?"

"What do you mean, dear?" Esme asked.

"There's another scent," Edward frowned. "It's not Peter or Charlotte, I know their scents. Who's here?"

"Didn't you check all our messages?" I asked, realising he was talking about Sebastian.

"I got as far as the wedding details," he said. "Who's Sebastian?" _Damn mind reader_ , I thought.

"We have a new member of the family," explained Esme. "You'll meet him tomorrow."

"Is my room still the same, Alice?" Edward raised an eyebrow at her. I snorted, remembering the story of what she had done to him when she and Jasper had first joined the Cullens.

"Yes, don't worry," she laughed. "Your suit is in the grey bag, by the way."

"Thanks." And Edward was gone.

I was significantly happier now that I knew the whole family would be here for the wedding. All I needed now to make this even more perfect were my parents but, as I looked around at the family around me trying to make my special day into an event to remember, I realised that while my parents couldn't be here, I was still loved and I could still celebrate with my family.

 _ **Sebastian Fenn is played by Daniel Sharman.**_


	24. A Wedding and a Honeymoon

"You look beautiful, sweetheart."

"Thank you, Esme," I smiled. Looking in the mirror, I had to agree that I did look amazing. Alice had designed the dress perfectly to my taste: it was a champagne/blush colour with a white floral pattern over the top, with spaghetti straps and a slight plunge, just enough to show some cleavage. I hadn't bothered with a veil and my curls were mostly left down with the front pulled back by a diamante clip, a few tendrils framing my face. Rosalie had left my makeup fairly neutral. I was wearing champagne heels with floral embroidery and a sheer ribbon that tied at the ankle. My bouquet was made up of ivory and metalina roses, and white baby's breath. I had blue sapphire studs in my ears.

"You look stunning, Davina," Carlisle spoke from the door. "It's time."

"Thank you." Esme, Alice and Rose left to join the others outside. Alice and Rose would be joining Charlotte as my bridesmaids in matching blush pink dresses.

I linked arms with Carlisle, hearing the music start up from outside: Pachelbel's Canon in D, a beautiful melody. As we reached the start of the small aisle, I could finally see Jasper in his Confederate uniform, still in perfect condition. He looked like something straight out of a history book and it made me smile. Peter, the best man, nudged Jasper who turned around and I saw his jaw drop slightly, his eyes filling with venom tears that would never fall.

" _I love you_ ," he mouthed.

I smiled widely. " _I love you, too_."

As we reached the end of the aisle, the reverend asked, "Who gives this woman to this man?"

"I do," Carlisle stated proudly, gently placing my hand in Jasper's and kissing my cheek before he took his seat next to Esme.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony," the reverend began. "They have decided to stick with traditional vows, so Jasper if you will repeat after me…"

Jasper gently grasped the small golden ring that Peter held out, resting it just over my left ring finger. "I, Jasper, take you, Davina, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, for all eternity." I smiled as Jasper slid the ring onto my finger, remembering why we decided on changing the vow from 'until to death do us part'; neither of us would grow old or die of natural causes and, God forbid, if anything _did_ happen then we both knew it wouldn't be long until we were together again.

I took Jasper's wedding band from Alice, copying his actions. "I, Davina, take you, Jasper, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, for all eternity."

The reverend smiled. "I now pronounce you husband and wife. Jasper, you may kiss – Oh!"

Jasper hadn't waited, kissing me soundly as our family cheered and laughed at his excitement. After a moment, we separated, both grinning happily.

"Congratulations, Mr. Whitlock," I murmured.

"Congratulations yourself… _Mrs_. Whitlock."

**TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT**

"Oh, Jasper, this is just wonderful!" I sighed contentedly, leaning against the balcony railing of bedroom.

"I'm glad you like it," my husband replied, wrapping his arms around my waist from behind and resting his chin on my shoulder.

I had been curious as to how we would be able to go to Jasper's honeymoon destination of Bora Bora without raising suspicion or hiding inside from the sun for the whole two weeks. However, my worries had been calmed when Jasper explained that he owned a private beach, complete with a house (mansion, really) that had a private pool as well. Carlisle and Esme had offered their private island, Isle Esme, for our honeymoon, but apparently Jasper had gained inspiration from Carlisle's gift to his wife and decided to buy us our own private haven in Tahiti. Not that I was complaining.

"Can we go down to the beach?" I asked. "I'd love a swim."

"Of course," Jasper said. "We can do absolutely anything you want, ma petite colombe."

I turned in his arms to face him, resting my hands upon his chest. "Why do you call me that?"

"Do you know what the dove symbolises?"

I shook my head. "Not really, apart from the dove that presented the olive branch for peace in the Bible."

"Doves can also symbolise love, grace, promise and devotion. I call you my little dove because you are my symbol of hope and I adore you. I am so devoted to you, Davina; I would do a _nything_ for you. I call you ma petite colombe because I love you and it's a reminder of my promise to myself to always look after you and cherish you and to never stop loving you. To me, you symbolise all of those things too."

I hadn't stopped smiling while Jasper was talking, unable to take my eyes away from his. "I love you, Jazz."

"I love you too." He kissed my nose gently before kissing my lips. "Beach?"

"Beach," I agreed.

After changing into one of the swimsuits that Alice had packed for me, a dark blue one piece with a plunging neckline that, for once, I was not embarrassed about, we headed down to the sand. I set my towel out next to Jasper's and kissed his cheek before using my speed to get to the water. I slowly waded out until the water reached my waist, relishing the warmth from the water and the sun. Jasper soon joined me and we spent an hour swimming around and playing in the water until Jasper caught me around the waist. He pressed his lips to mine and my arms went around his neck as he lifted me so that my legs were around his waist. He sped out of the ocean and I was suddenly laying on my back on my towel with Jasper hovering over me. Jasper was kissing and nipping at my neck when it hit me – the smell of human blood.

"Jasper…"

"I know," he said, sitting up. "I smell it too."

Focusing my hearing, I could hear two heartbeats coming from my left. My head snapped around to see two humans, a couple, coming around the corner of the house, laughing.

"Hey!" Jasper called. "What are you doing here? This is private land!"

"Oh, my God!" the woman squealed.

"Hey, we're sorry, man, we didn't realise," the man apologised. "We – Are you glowing? What is that?"

"Oh no," I groaned as I realised that Jasper and I were still out in the sun, the light causing our skin to sparkle like diamonds. In a flash, Jasper and I were standing on either side of the couple.

"Davina," Jasper said calmly. "Concentrate. You can do this."

"What if it doesn't work?" I panicked slightly.

"It will," he stated firmly.

"What are talking about?" the human woman asked. "What are you going to do?"

"It's okay," I said softly. I gently took her hands in mine, making sure to keep eye contact, knowing that Jasper had a firm grip on the man. "You're going to leave this beach and forget about this place. You will go back to your hotel or wherever it is you're staying and you will hang around there for the rest of the day. You will forget that you saw us; you never saw anything out of the ordinary. You won't come back here. You and your boyfriend have had a nice, relaxing day around the pool."

The woman slowly nodded. "We've had a nice relaxing day around the pool. I'll forget we were here. We won't come back."

"What the hell did you do to her?" her boyfriend yelled. "Mindy, are you okay?" She ignored him, walking away from us slowly, as if in a trance. "What did you do?" he yelled again, turning to me. "Let go, man!"

I repeated the process with the man, calming him down and making him forget everything. Once they were gone, Jasper and I relaxed again.

"Well done, darlin'. I'm proud of you," Jasper told me, hugging me to him.

"I didn't think I could do it," I breathed out, still surprised that my compulsion had worked.

"You did it, darlin'," Jasper grinned, rubbing his hand up my back. "Carlisle told you it would work, you just needed confidence."

"I guess all that practice on Emmett came in handy, huh?" I joked and Jasper laughed.

**TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT**

A week later, Jasper and I had just gotten back from a hunt when I remembered that I needed to charge my phone. As soon as the screen lit up, I saw that I had seven text messages from Alice and a voicemail from Rosalie. Quickly clicking on voicemail I listened to Rosalie's panicked voice.

" _Davina, you and Jasper need to come home as soon as you can. Alice had a vision this morning. Bella's dead."_ The message was dated the day before yesterday.

"Shit!" I scanned through the texts from Alice, all of them telling me about her vision and that she was going back to Forks to check on Bella's father and to see if her vision about Bella's death had come true. "Jasper!"

He poked his head out of the bathroom, his hair wet from the shower. "What is it, darlin'?"

"Rose called. Alice had a vision yesterday… Bella killed herself!" I cried.

"What?" He gaped for moment before blurring to the desk and grabbing his phone. "I'll book our flights back, you start packing."

Within five minutes, we were packed and driving to the airport. Our flight landed in New York thirteen hours later where Emmett and Rose met us.

"What is it?" I asked, seeing their solemn faces. "Has something else happened? Is Bella really dead?"

"Bella's fine," Emmett sighed. "It's Edward."

"Is he alright?" Jasper frowned.

"He's going to the Volturi," Rose explained sharply. "It's my fault –"

"Rose!"

"No, Em, it is my fault! I'm the one who told him about Bella."

"Wait, if Bella isn't dead then why is Edward going to the Volturi?" I asked.

"He thinks she is," Emmett said gruffly. "Rose called him before Alice could call to tell us that Bella was recreationally cliff jumping and not committing suicide."

"Rosalie!" I hissed. "Why would you do that?"

"Well, at the time I thought he should know that the 'love of his life' was dead!" Rose snapped back.

"Enough!" growled Jasper. "We have to figure out what we're doing now. Has Carlisle said anything?"

"We've booked a connecting flight to Seattle," Emmett told us as we walked. "Esme, Carlisle and Sebastian are already there. Apparently, Alice took Bella to Volterra to go after Edward."

"She took Bella _to the Volturi?_ " I gasped. "They'll get her killed!"

Rose shook her head. "Alice called Sebastian two hours before your flight landed. All three are on their way back from Italy right now. They were at the airport when she called."

"So we're going back to Forks?" Jasper asked.

"Yep," Emmet said. "We're going home."


	25. Returning to Forks

We were all waiting in the living room for Edward and Bella. A lot had gone down with the Volturi, including an agreement to change Bella into a vampire. Alice had shown Aro a vision of Bella as one of us and now it seemed that her future as an immortal was set in stone. Carlisle and Esme stood near the door, both wanting to see Bella as soon as possible. Alice and Sebastian sat on the sofa, the blonde's arm around the pixie; it seemed their relationship had developed whilst Jasper and I had been away. Rosalie and Emmett stood near Jasper and I, Rose feeling guilty for her part in Edward's trip to Italy.

My eyes flicked to the front door as I heard footsteps and a frantic heartbeat that I recognised to be Bella's. I took a small step back into Jasper's chest, his arms coming around my waist, as her scent hit me: delicious as always. Sebastian took a deep breath in and then stopped breathing all together, the only one of us that hadn't been prepared for the intensity of Bella's scent. The door opened and Esme suddenly had an armful of human.

"Bella! We've missed you, sweetheart."

"I've missed you too, Esme," she said softly, hugging Esme back.

Carlisle was next, pulling Bella in for a hug and gently kissing her head. "It's good to see you Bella."

"Hello, Carlisle." Bella pulled away from Carlisle and wrapped her arms around herself, pulling her sleeves over her hands. I recognised it as a sign of nervousness, having done a similar thing when I was human.

"Hi, Bella," I said sweetly, and her chocolate brown eyes snapped up to meet my amber ones.

"Davina," she breathed. All of a sudden, she had crossed the room and was hugging me tightly. Jasper had moved back towards Emmett as Bella had come closer, still wary of his own control around her. I held my breath as I hugged her back, the burn in my throat a prominent reminder of why we left.

"I'm so sorry, Bella-"

"Don't be sorry, Davina, it wasn't your fault," Bella whispered. "It wasn't yours either, Jasper," she added as we separated. Jasper returned to his position stood behind me, his arm around my waist again. He held his other hand out to Bella and they shared a brief handshake. I knew that Jasper didn't trust himself to hug her.

Bella's eyes drifted around the room, glancing at each of us as if to make sure that we were real. Her eyes landed on Sebastian and I didn't need my husband's gift to know that she was confused.

"Bella, this is Sebastian," Alice introduced. The human girl nodded in realisation, Alice must have already told her about our new addition, and murmured a greeting.

"Bella," Carlisle said. "I believe that you wished to discuss some things?"

"Yes," she said, taking a deep breath. Bella moved to stand near Edward on the stairs, the vampire himself leaning on the wall with a scowl. "You all know what Edward wants… And you know what I want. But I won't force myself on you. I think the only fair way to handle this is by vote."

Edward interrupted, "You can't be serious-"

"Shut up," she said firmly, and I shared a smirk with Alice. I was glad Bella appeared to be getting a backbone instead of blindly following Edward's word as law. I loved my brother but he could be a bit controlling when he thought he was right. Edward glared at me from across the room and I just shrugged minutely. It was true. "However this turns out, I can't let you all get hurt because of me. I have to, I'll go back to Italy alone and-"

"The hell you will!" Emmett interrupted this time, a grin on his face. "I'm not missing another fight."

"Emmett, I don't want you involved in this," Bella insisted.

"We've always been involved, honey," Esme told her gently.

"I want you to think seriously about this," maintained Bella. "If I join you, you'll be stuck with me for a long time – forever. It's a huge decision and I want – need your honesty here." We murmured agreements and she nodded. "Let's vote then… Alice?"

"Like you're not already my sister," Alice scoffed, hugging the human tightly. "Of course, yes!"

"Yes," Sebastian murmured when Bella looked at him. "If you're certain this is what you want."

"I vote yes," Jasper agreed. "It'll be a relief not to want to kill you all the time."

"Jasper!" I scolded, nudging him in the ribs. He just smirked down at me.

"Um, thanks?" Bella hesitated. "Okay, Davina?"

"I know why you want this life, Bella," I told her. "And I'm glad that you have the choice to decide for yourself and you can do this on your own terms… mostly. I vote yes."

"Thank you," she smiled. "Rosalie?"

Rose glanced between Bella and Edward, torn. "I'm grateful for everything you've done for my brother… But this isn't the life I'd have chosen for myself. I wish there had been someone to vote no for me." The blonde vampire shot a small apologetic look towards Carlisle. "So, no."

Bella looked a bit disappointed but almost as if she'd expected the negative answer. Emmett took it upon himself to cheer her up and bounded across the room to lift her into a bear hug. "I vote hell yeah!" He boomed. "We can pick a fight with these Volturi some other way."

Esme was next to hug Bella. "I already think of you as part of the family. Yes."

Bella turned expectantly to Carlisle, who turned his gaze to Edward who was still sulking on the stairs. "Edward-"

"You can't go along with this, Carlisle," he denied. "You know what it means."

"You've chosen not to live without her, which leaves me no choice" said Carlisle. "I won't lose my son." He turned to Bella. "Alice has never turned anyone." She'd asked Alice to turn her? "It would be safer if I did it."

We all flinched at the loud slam of the front door, Edward speeding from the room in a temper. "Thank you," Bella sighed. "All of you." She followed Edward out of the house and we could hear the tyres of his Volvo screeching away.

"Well, that was dramatic," Sebastian joked and we all chuckled a bit.

"You have to understand," explained Carlisle. "Edward believes that we are soulless, and he doesn't want to condemn Bella's soul in order to spend eternity with her."

"Condemn her soul?" he asked. "How can we be soulless if we can love?"

"Try explaining that to Edward," I said softly.

**TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT**

I was bored.

Jasper, Alice, Sebastian and I had gone back to high school with Edward and Bella now that we were back living in Forks. The story was that Carlisle and Esme missed living in a little town so they moved us all back from busy L.A., having adopted Sebastian while we were gone after Carlisle's older sister had passed away.

We, except for Alice and Sebastian, were currently sitting around a table in the school cafeteria with Bella's friends, watching them argue over Jessica's valedictorian speech while Angela fussed over her graduation notices. Jess still refused to talk to me.

"My fellow students," Mike stated pompously. "Cool, right? Wow, okay, cute, so – We are the future. Anything is possible… if you just believe."

"Nice," said Angela.

"Blah, blah, blah, perfect," he continued. "And you got yourself a speech."

"No, this will be my speech when I want everyone to throw diplomas at my head, so… Thank you," Jessica snarked. She crumpled the paper that Mike had used and tossed it at his head.

"Gotta embrace the clichés, Jess," he laughed.

"They're the bread and butter of all valedictorians," added Eric.

"And that is why you are not valedictorian," Angela grinned. "And Jess doesn't need clichés. Her speech is gonna be epic. Right, Davina?"

"Yeah, definitely epic," I said, picking at my chicken. Jasper stroked his fingers across my thigh comfortingly, underneath the table.

"Epic? It'll change lives," Jessica boasted.

Alice suddenly sat next to me, Sebastian sitting on her other side. "I decided to throw a party," she declared.

"After all, how many times are we gonna graduate high school?" Sebastian joked, and the rest of us vampires stifled smirks.

"A party?" Angela asked. "At your place?" She looked at me and I nodded.

"I've never seen your house," Jessica added, aiming a small glare at me as if to scold me for never inviting her over once I moved in.

"No-one's seen their house," Eric said.

"Another party, Alice?" Edward sighed.

"It'll be fun!"

"Yeah, that's what you said the last time," Bella griped.

Alice suddenly froze next to me and I glanced around to see her eyes glazed over as she stared off into a future that the rest of us couldn't see. Sebastian placed a gentle hand on her back.

"Well, cool," said Mike. "That's really, uh… normal of you. What time? Dress code? Bring anything?"

Alice wasn't responding and Edward leaned across the table to wave a hand in front of her face, as if she were merely daydreaming. "Wake up, Alice."

"She hasn't been getting much sleep lately," I explained away her behaviour, waving my hand dismissively. "Senior jitters."

" _OH, MY GOD!"_ Jessica shrieked, practically diving across the table to grab my hand. "Is that a wedding ring?"

"Oh, uh, yeah," I said. "Jasper and I got married in L.A."

"You got _married?"_

"That's what she just said, Jess," Angela told her, leaning in to examine the diamond wedding and engagement rings set on my left hand.

"Is that even legal?" Mike asked.

"We're both eighteen," Jasper said.

"Yeah, but you're in high school."

"So?" I asked. "We love each other and we know its forever. Who cares?"

"Well, was it a beautiful wedding?" Jessica demanded. "You have to show me pictures!" _Well, I guess she's speaking to me now,_ I thought.

"Sure, Jess," I said, thinking of the photographs that were suitable for human eyes. With a distinct lack of humans at the wedding and reception, none of us had bothered keeping up the façade that we were human.

"Davina looked stunning," Alice stated, clearly having finished with her vision. She pulled out her phone, showing them photos of myself posing with the bridesmaids, Jasper and Carlisle and Esme.

I shared a look with Edward and Jasper, knowing that Alice's vision had been serious. I raised a subtle eyebrow at Edward but he shook his head mouthing, _later_.

What had Alice seen?


	26. Victoria and an Intruder

"Victoria?" I asked.

"Yes," said Alice. "She's still hunting for Bella, I think. She'll be here this weekend."

"Excellent!" Emmett growled. "I'm itching to rip her head off!"

"What do we do about Bella?" I asked. "Do we tell her about Victoria?"

"She already knows that Victoria has been looking for her," said Edward. "But I don't think we should worry her with this. She needs to concentrate on passing her exams, and spending time with her family since she's so determined to become one of us."

"Well, what about the tickets to Florida," Esme suggested. "Has she used them?"

"Not yet."

"So you tell Bella that you think it would be good for her to spend some time with her mother before graduation," I told Edward. "That way she won't worry about us going up against Victoria, and we don't have to worry about her wanting to be involved."

"That's good," agreed Jasper. "It might be better for Bella to be out of Forks anyway, just on the off chance that Victoria does get passed us."

Edward nodded. "I'll suggest it in front of her father if I can, that way she might be more inclined to go."

**TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT**

We were waiting in the forest, where Alice said her vision had begun. Edward had gone to Florida with Bella, but luckily we had Sebastian to help us now too.

"You're sure this is where you saw her?" Jasper checked.

"She's almost here," confirmed Alice.

My ears caught the sound of footsteps, sprinting quickly in our direction, much faster than a human pace. Alice suddenly spun around to face Emmett.

"On your left!"

Emmett darted off to the left, Rosalie right behind him. Jasper, Carlisle and Sebastian spread out, going wide in the hopes of cutting Victoria off. I took off after Emmett and Rosalie, Alice and Esme keeping up the rear. I caught sight of flame-red hair whipping in the wind as Victoria raced through the trees, leaping like a cat across the ravine – right across the Quileute border. I skidded to a stop between Carlisle and Jasper as the doctor held an arm out to stop Emmett and Rose. "Wait! She's in their territory now."

"She'll get away!" Rose protested, but Jasper nodded across the border.

"No, she won't."

Three wolves burst out of the bushes on the other side of the river, led by a huge black beast that I assumed to be Sam Uley, the current alpha. We kept up with the chase on our side of the forest, staying parallel to the wolves. A grey wolf snapped at Victoria's ankles, the red-headed vampire hopping up a tree and back across to our side in order to avoid losing a foot.

"All ours now," Emmett smirked.

Jasper leapt for Victoria, missing by an inch, and landed in the dirt. I knew he was fine from the growl I heard as I passed him, gaining on the bitch. Reaching out, I managed to grip her long her and spun, flinging her back towards Emmett. She let out a screech as Emmett caught hold of her head and shoulders, and they tumbled down. Victoria used the momentum to her advantage, kicking Emmett away from her and into a tree. She jumped back over to wolf territory and kept running.

Esme and I saw what Emmett was going to do a split-second before he actually did it.

"Emmett, don't!"

But Emmett didn't listen, flying over the ravine after Victoria… Only to be shoved backwards by Paul. There was a momentary stand-off where Emmett and the wolf growled at each other, the fury written over both of their faces.

I sighed, knowing that we'd just lost our chance to catch Victoria.

**TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT**

I growled, yanking my shirt over my head as I entered our bedroom. I tossed it into the hamper and grabbed my hairbrush on my way to the bathroom. I angrily tried to brush the knots out of my hair in the bathroom mirror, huffing when the brush got stuck in the curls. Gentle hands took the brush from me, calmly detangling my hair and ridding it of a couple of stray leaves.

"It's not your fault, darlin'," Jasper murmured.

"I should have just kept hold of her," I said.

"Throwing her to Emmett was the right thing to do," he assured, placing the hairbrush on the counter and turning me around to face him. "Emmett was the best choice to stop her from running; he just let his temper get away from him at the wrong time. We'll get her eventually."

"But how many people will die first?" I countered, leaning into his chest.

"I don't know," Jasper sighed, and rested his chin on my head. "But you can't think about that. Victoria will get her comeuppance; we'll make sure of it."

We hugged in silence for a while, just basking in each other's presence. Eventually, I pulled away from Jasper.

"I need to shower," I explained.

Jasper leaned over and twisted the handle, causing the shower to turn on, and the room slowly filled with steam as the water heated up. "So do I."

I grinned as Jasper tugged off his shirt and raised an eyebrow at me. "Well, who said I wanted to shower _with_ you," I teased. "Maybe I wanted some alone time."

"Oh, is that right?" Jasper stepped forward, his hands resting on my hips before they slowly trailed upwards, over my stomach and around my sides until they met by bra. He snapped it open at the back and slid the straps down my arms, dropping the purple lace to the floor. He leaned forward, pressing butterfly kisses down my neck as my hands came up to rest on his broad shoulders. I let out a small gasp as Jasper nipped at my collar bone, not hard enough for the venom to leave a mark, but enough to feel good. I grinned as my husband guided me towards the shower, laughing as he pinned me against the wall, my jeans and underwear getting soaked through under the warm water. I quickly pulled them off and flung them into the corner. My fingers drifted down Jasper's sculpted chest and abs until I felt the waistband of his trousers. I undid the button and the zipper, shoving the material over his hips, and down to his thighs. Jasper did a sort of shimmy to get his jeans down to his ankles, making me giggle and I felt him smile against my skin. He kicked the wet denim into the corner, his boxer briefs soon following. His mouth moved back to mine, our tongues entangling as his hands hovered over my butt. His fingertips dipped into the waistband of my underwear, the purple lace matching my bra, and slowly slid them down. They dropped to my feet and I kicked them away. I could feel Jasper's excitement against my thigh and moaned quietly in anticipation. He growled lowly, the sound rumbling deeply in his chest, as he lifted me up so that I could wrap my legs around his waist.

"I love you," he whispered.

"Je t'aime tellement," I whispered back. **I love you so much.**

**TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT**

As I pulled my car into the space next to Edward's Volvo in the school parking lot, I noticed a confrontation happening in front of the school.

"Great," I muttered. Getting out of the car, I stood next to Jasper, his arm naturally coming around my waist, with Alice and Sebastian. The four of us watched warily as Jacob goaded Edward, letting slip that Bella had missed out on something whilst in Florida.

"Tell me what?" Bella demanded.

Edward sighed. "Emmett and Paul had a… misunderstanding. There's nothing to worry about.

"Listen to you!" Jacob scoffed. "Did you lie to get her out of town, too?"

I narrowed my eyes, a tiny bit of guilt seeping in as I remembered encouraging Edward to do just that.

"You should leave," Edward said. " _Now."_

"She has a right to know," the wolf shot back. "She is the one the red-head wants!"

"Victoria?" Bella frowned, before realisation came across her face. "Alice's vision."

"I was trying to protect you."

"By lying to me." Edward said nothing and Bella nodded. "We're gonna talk about this, but _you!_ " She turned to Jacob. "Why haven't you called me back?"

"I had nothing to say," he shrugged.

"Well, I have tons," she snapped, taking a step forward.

Edward gripped her hand, stopping her. "Hold on, hey, Bella-"

"Edward, you have to trust me."

"I do trust you… it's him I don't trust."

Bella glared at him before Edward finally let go of her. She moved towards Jacob who was sat on his motorbike, climbing on behind him.

"Lose the grin, Jacob," she told the smug wolf. "We're just going for a ride."

"Hold on tight."

I exchanged a look with Alice as they sped out of the parking lot. "Well, that went well," I muttered, causing the others to laugh. Edward just shot a glare in our direction before storming off to class.

**TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT**

I was watching a random sitcom with Alice and Rosalie when Carlisle's phone rang. He moved a piece against Jasper in their game of chess before answering it.

"Edward?"

" _There was someone in Bella's house."_

I muted the TV, all of us turning our attention to Carlisle and Edward's conversation.

"A vampire? Did you recognise them?"

" _I caught the scent. Can you send Emmett, Sebastian and Jasper to follow the trail?"_

The three vampires stood up, instantly headed for the door.

"They're on their way," Carlisle said. "Bring Bella here until they get back. Is Charlie hurt?"

" _No, whoever it was left him unharmed."_

They hung up and it wasn't long before I heard Edward's car pulling into the driveway. Edward and Bella appeared in the living room, Bella looking a little winded from the sudden movement. She sat next to Esme on the loveseat as Edward paced, frustrated.

"Who was it?" Alice asked. "Someone we knew?"

"Just a stranger, I didn't recognise his scent."

"A nomad passing through?" Esme wondered.

Rosalie shook her head. "A passer-by wouldn't have left Bella's father alive."

Bella's heart rate picked up at the thought and Esme wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders just as the boys burst back into the house.

"His scent disappeared about five miles south of Bella's house," Jasper informed us. I stood up as he neared me and leaned into his chest, Jasper resting his chin on my head. I knew he was feeling extra protective at the thought of a strange vampire in the area.

"Someone's orchestrating this," Edward realised.

"Victoria?" asked Carlisle.

"I would've seen her deciding," Alice said, gripping Sebastian's hand.

"It has to be the Volturi," Edward stated.

The pixie shook her head. "I don't think it's the Volturi either. I've been watching Aro's decisions too."

"So we keep looking," Sebastian determined, Emmett agreeing with him.

" _Another_ protection detail?" Rose snapped.

"Rosalie," I warned.

"No, she's right," agreed Bella. "You can't protect me… watch my dad… and search for the intruder. And for Victoria. And keep yourselves fed."

"I'm not leaving you defenceless," Edward told her.

"Well, I'm not gonna let you starve," she shot back. "And I wouldn't be unprotected, I have…"

"What?" asked Edward.

"She has the wolves." I caught on to Bella's idea.

"That could work," Jasper agreed.

Edward scowled, but eventually gave in to the idea of the wolves helping to keep an eye on Bella while we hunted for Victoria and the intruder.


	27. Worries and Discussions

It was starting to get dark when Alice scowled and rubbed her head. We were perched in the trees that surrounded the Swan house, out of sight of any nosey neighbours.

"My visions just disappeared," she grumbled.

I realised that must mean some of the pack were nearby; ready to take over the guard on Bella and her father. A few seconds later, my nose wrinkled as the scent of wet dog reached us.

"Urgh," Alice scoffed.

"Be nice," I murmured.

Two large wolves came into then and I recognised the grey wolf as Paul, but I had no idea who the chocolate wolf was. _We really need to make an effort to actually get to know the pack if we're working together_ , I thought. Alice and I hopped gracefully from the trees, landing right in front of the wolves. Paul growled a little.

"Oh, hush," I rolled my eyes at him. "It's been clear all night. Edward will be around soon, he usually spends the night with Bella in the house. If you need anything, he'll hear you."

Paul growled again and the brown wolf bobbed its head in a nod.

"Can we go now?" Alice asked. "I'm getting a headache."

"Alice, calm down," I smirked. "Yes, we can leave now."

I shot a quick, friendly wave towards the wolves and flitted off after the smaller vampire.

**TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT**

I was sitting on the loveseat with Jasper when Edward came storming through the front door. I lifted my head from Jasper's shoulder and raised an eyebrow at our brother.

"What's up with you?"

"Jacob!" He snarled, pacing the floor.

"What about him?"

"He never wears a shirt! He's always _touching_ her!"

"Edward," I said firmly. "Calm down! Firstly, Jacob's lack of a shirt isn't just about pissing you off. The wolves run at a very high temperature, I imagine clothes are rather an uncomfortable nuisance to them. Second, Jacob would hug Bella whether you were there or not, they _are_ friends you know. He just overdoes in front of you because he knows he'll get a reaction from you."

Edward sighed, visibly relaxing and I glanced at my husband to find him watching Edward in a way that told me he was using his powers to influence Edward's calm state.

"Would it make you feel better if I call her before we go hunting?" I asked.

"Would you?" Edward replied.

"Sure." I pulled out my phone, quickly dialling Bella's number. It rang three times before she picked up.

"Davina? Is something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, Bella," I said. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm going hunting with Edward and Jasper tonight, but would you like to do something with Alice and I tomorrow? I feel like I haven't really spent time with you since we got back."

"Oh, sure, yeah," she stuttered. "What would we be doing?"

"Knowing Alice, she'll probably want to go shopping," I laughed. "But I was thinking we could also see a movie or something? Your choice."

"That sounds great, Davina," she said. "Hey, I have to go now."

"No problem, I'll text you tomorrow morning. Bye Bella." I hung up and turned to Edward. "Good enough?"

"Thank you," he muttered.

"Yeah, you're welcome." I rolled my eyes. "Can we go hunting now? I'm starving."

**TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT**

Bella POV

"Everything okay?" Jacob asked.

"Yeah, Davina was just asking if I wanted to hang out tomorrow," I told him.

Jake scoffed. "Checking up on you, more like."

"Well, maybe she was, but Davina wouldn't ask to hang out if she didn't want to," I said. "She's not like that. Besides, Davina won't let Edward push her around. If anything, she'd punch him for bossing her around, and that's if Jasper didn't get there first."

"Jasper?"

"Yeah, Davina's husband. He's the blonde guy."

"Davina's married to the doctor?" Jake tilted his head in confusion.

"No," I laughed. "That's Carlisle. Jasper's hair is longer and he goes to Fork's High with us."

"Oh."

"So, are you sure this is okay?" I asked, as we walked along the beach. "I really hate being a party crasher."

Jake grinned. "Technically, you're a council meeting crasher. The council leaders are my dad, Quil's grandpa and Sue Clearwater. She took over for Harry when he died."

"Okay, I should not be here."

"No, you're okay," he insisted. "I thought… I mean, they thought it would be good for you to hear the histories."

"Like the tribe's histories?" I gaped. "Aren't they secret?"

"We've all got a role to play. You're a part of this. It's the first time Seth, Leah and Quil are hearing them too, but you are the first outsider. Ever."

"If I'd known that I would have dressed better," I muttered and Jake chuckled.

"Jake!"

I looked towards the shout to see a younger boy, not quite as tall as Jacob but just as smiley, running over to us.

"Hey, it's about time you got here - Paul's been hoovering all the grub. I saved you some burgers."

"Good looking out, bro," Jacob praised. "Bella, this is Seth Clearwater, Leah's brother. Newest member of the pack."

"Newest, bestest, brightest…" Seth bragged.

"And slowest!" Jake grabbed Seth in a headlock, sending them both tumbling into the sand. A whistle came from the circle and they stopped tussling.

"Come on," Seth jumped up. "Your dad's about to start."

"Alright, alright," Jake laughed, taking my hand in his warm one and leading me towards the bonfire.

**TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT**

Davina

I frowned, watching the news sadly. A CNN reporter was talking about the rising death toll in Seattle.

" _Police are baffled by the escalating murders and disappearances. Theories range from a vicious new gang to a wildly active serial killer. Reporting live, Dawn Chubai, CNN."_

I sighed as Carlisle turned the TV off. "It's getting worse," he said. "We're going to have to do something."

"It takes more than one of our kind to cause the damage they're reporting," Jasper added, concerned. "Quite a few more. They're undisciplined, conspicuous…"

"Newborns," Edward summised.

"What, like new vampires?" asked Bella.

"In their first few months after the change," he told her.

"That's when we're at our most uncontrollable, vicious, insane with thirst," explained Jasper. I nodded, remembering my own struggles with the thirst. Luckily, I had the Cullens to help me. These newborns didn't have anyone showing them how to control the thirst and the urge to kill. Instead, their creator was letting them have free reign of Seattle, like their own personal playground.

"Something to look forward to," Emmett said to Bella.

"No one has trained these newborns," said Jasper. "But, this isn't random."

"Someone's creating an army," Carlisle said solemnly.

Jasper nodded and I slipped my hand into his, knowing this was bringing back a few memories of Maria's army.

Emmett stood up, enthusiastic. "Oh, now we're definitely going to Seattle!"

"An army of vampires?" she asked, looking paler than usual at the thought.

"And they've been created to fight someone," my husband added.

"We're the only coven even close to Seattle," I murmured.

"Regardless of they are who," Carlisle said. "If we don't put a stop to them, the Volturi will. I'm surprised they've let it go on this long."

"We can't let them come here," I worried.

"Maybe they're behind it," Edward told us. "In Italy, I read Aro's mind – He wants me and Alice to join him. He wants Davina too, maybe Jasper. Our gifts would shore up his power. He knows we'd never choose him as long as our family is still alive. An army could solve that for him."

Bella's heart pounded in her chest. "We can't wait two weeks for graduation," she gasped. "You need to change me now-"

Jasper cut her off. "You'd be a liability as a newborn: unable to control your instincts, an easy target."

Carlisle put an empathetic hand on the human's shoulder. "There's also your father to consider, and your mother. How terrible would it be for them if you suddenly disappeared?"

Bella deflated. She nodded in understanding and leaned into Edward, a sad and worried expression on her face.

**TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT**

"Trying to walk and chew gum again, Bella?"

"I punched a werewolf in the face."

I froze against Jasper as we lay cuddled on our bed. Raising my head, I saw he had an amused smirk that matched mine. Instantly, we were downstairs, standing at the kitchen door. Bella was seated on the kitchen table and Carlisle was finishing up wrapping her wrist, Edward watching in concern. Rosalie was leaning against the counter, flipping through several newspapers looking for updates on the Seattle situation, and Emmett was standing near the human, a huge smirk on his face.

"Bad ass!" he praised. "You're gonna be one tough little new born."

"Tough enough to take you on," Bella shot back.

Rosalie slapped down the newspaper she was holding and stormed out of the kitchen, throwing a scowl in Bella's direction. I stepped aside just in time to avoid being knocked into by the irate blonde. Bella bit her lip, looking around at the rest of us.

"Don't worry about it," Emmett murmured.

There was a moment of awkward silence before Edward spoke; "Okay, any leads?"

"No sign of the intruder," Jasper reported, wrapping an arm round my waist. "But Victoria continues to make appearances."

"She's toying with us," Carlisle sighed. "Keeping us distracted."

"From Seattle?" I asked.

"Or the intruder," he said. "Or something else."

"Alice can keep tracking her decisions but we have to track her on the ground," said Edward.

Bella left the room, likely following Rosalie out on to the deck.

"We've already covered the entire southern peninsula down to Quinault," Jasper told him.

"What about the north-western trail?" I suggested.

"Good idea," agreed Carlisle. "Emmett and I will run it tomorrow. I'm working at the hospital tonight, but I'll have a quick hunt before we go, if that's alright with you, son?"

Emmett nodded, flexing his arms. "Don't worry, man," he said to Edward. "We'll find them."

Our group dispersed then: Edward left to take Bella home, and Carlisle left to go to work. I kissed Jasper's cheek and stopped Emmett as he passed me.

"I'm going to check on Rose, if you don't mind, Em?"

"Sure, D." The giant vampire gave me a quick hug before grabbing Jasper in a headlock. "Come on, man, I'll kick your ass on CoD!"

I giggled as he dragged Jasper into the living room, my husband still trapped in a headlock. Shaking my head at their immaturity, I flitted outside to the deck. Rose was leaning against the railing and gazing out at the trees.

"Rose, you okay?"

She sighed. "I'm fine, Davina. I just… I told Bella."

"About Royce?" I asked, moving to lean on the railing with her.

"Yes. She was suitably horrified and apologetic."

"Rose…" I murmured. I rested a hand gently on her shoulder. "I'm proud of you. I know how you feel about Bella. I know that you didn't trust her at first, and even now you're a little wary of her. But, I'm proud of you for telling her what happened to you. She has a better understanding of why you have issues with this life."

"You have issues, too," she pointed out.

"We all know I wanted to turn," I said. "I'm just disappointed about the circumstances behind my change. I wish it had gone the way Jasper and I had discussed."

"I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm so happy with Emmett and I love all of you, I really do," Rose explained.

"But you wish we could have this and be human," I finished for her. "I know. I wish more than anything that Jasper and I could be human together, have our own family and grown old. I can just imagine him telling war stories to our grandchildren, showing them his memorabilia, you know? Teaching our daughters self-defence and showing our sons how you treat a lady. But this is our life, Rose. We have to treasure what we _do_ have."

I gently squeezed her shoulder and turned to go back inside. In the living room, I found Jasper and Emmett sat on the floor and throwing insults at each other as their game characters died. Marvelling at my fortune in having such an amazing family, I sat on the sofa behind Jasper and smiled as he leaned against my legs, continuing to play.


	28. Training

"When were five, they asked us what we wanted to be when we grew up…"

It had been a long two weeks of patrolling and keeping guard over the Swan house, whilst completing finals and organising things for graduation, but it was finally here.

Graduation. I wouldn't be my last, but it was my first.

We had walked across the stage and received our diplomas. Now it was time for the speeches.

"Our answers were things like astronaut, president… or, in my case, a princess." Jessica smiled as chuckles ran through the audience. I smiled from my seat between Jasper and Alice. "When we ten, they asked again and we answered rock star, cowboy… or, in my case, a gold medallist. But now that we've grown up, they want a serious answer. Well, how about this: who the hell knows?" Cheers echoed around the auditorium. "This isn't the time to make hard and fast decisions - it's the time to make mistakes. Take the wrong train and get stuck somewhere; fall in love – a lot. Major in philosophy because there's _no_ way to make a career out of that. Change your mind, and then change it again, because nothing is permanent…" _Except vampirism_ , I thought. "…So make as many mistakes as you can. That way, someday, when they ask again what we want to be… we won't have to guess – we'll know."

After the ceremony ended, Jasper, Alice and I edged through the crowd in search of Carlisle and Esme. It took a few moments but we found them outside, not far from Chief Swan, Bella and Edward.

"Congratulations, darlings!" Esme gushed. "Especially you, Davina."

"Thank you," I smiled as she hugged me tightly, followed by Carlisle.

"The hype wears off after the first few times," Jasper murmured, before kissing my temple as I leaned into his side.

"Come on, guys! We should start setting up for the party," Alice exclaimed excitedly.

**TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT**

The house was decorated to mimic a nightclub, full of human teenagers dancing and celebrating. I stood with Rosalie, neither of us entirely happy about the full house. A boy I didn't recognise shoved passed us, and I wrinkled my nose at the overwhelming stench of sweat.

"Disgusting," Rose muttered. I snorted under my breath at the look on her face.

"They can't help it, Rose."

"Not the human," she said. " _Them_." Rosalie glared towards the front door and I followed her gaze to see Jacob, Quil and Embry standing with Bella. I focused on the conversation, eavesdropping over the loud music.

"I brought you something," Jacob was saying. He took her hand in his, and when he pulled back I could see a charm bracelet on Bella's wrist.

"You made this?" she gasped. "It's really pretty, thanks."

I glanced at Rose warily… Edward was not going to like that. Looking back towards Bella and the wolves, I noticed their attention had been drawn by something to my left. I turned, seeing Alice stood on the stairs, frozen. Moving at a human pace, I beat Bella to the stairs by a few seconds. I touched Alice's arm just as she came out of the vision, a look of alarm flicking across the face.

"Alice?" I asked softly. "What did you see?"

Before Alice could get a word out, Jacob appeared, hovering over Bella's shoulder. "Okay, something is going on. Tell me!" he demanded.

"I need to talk to Carlisle," said Alice.

Jacob put his arm against the wall to block us from leaving.

"Jacob, leave it," I told him.

He ignored me. "Why don't you talk to me?"

Suddenly, there was a hand on my waist as Jasper appeared at my side, his voice low and lethal. "I suggest you remove your arm – before I do."

Slowly, Jacob moved back. Alice looked at Jasper and I, her face pinched with worry.

"The decision's been made."

I gave a heavy sigh, knowing what that meant. Jasper's hand squeezed my waist.

"What's going on?" Bella asked. "You're not going to Seattle?"

"No," Alice explained. "They're coming here."

I peered around Jasper, catching Rose's eye. I gestured for her to gather the others and she immediately shoved through a group of humans near the kitchen. "Come on," I murmured. I took Jasper's hand and pulled him with me, the others following. I led them into Carlisle's office. Jacob waved for the other wolves to come with us, and it took barely two minutes for the rest of the family to appear.

"Alice, what's going on?" Carlisle asked.

"We're not going to Seattle," she repeated. "They're coming here."

Edward scowled. "How long?"

"They'll be here in four days."

"This could turn into a bloodbath," Carlisle sighed.

"Who's behind it?" asked Edward.

"It could be Victoria," I thought aloud. "A distraction for her to get through us to Bella. Or maybe the Volturi?"

"I didn't see anyone I recognise," Alice said. "Maybe one…"

"I know his face," agreed Edward. "He's local, Riley Biers. He didn't start this."

"Whoever did is staying out of the action."

"They must be playing with the blind spots in your vision," Carlisle said to Alice.

"Either way," Jasper said. "The army is coming, and there aren't enough of us to protect the town."

Jacob's expression was confused. "Hold up. What damn army?"

Carlisle and Edward exchanged a look, the younger shaking his head. Carlisle, however decided differently.

"Newborns. Our kind."

"What are they after?" Embry wondered.

Alice told them that the newborns in her vision had been passing around a blouse of Bella's, catching her scent.

"They're after Bella?"

"What the hell does this mean?" Jacob snapped.

"It means an ugly fight," I said. "With lives lost." I leaned into Jasper's side, resting my head on his shoulder.

"Alright," the wolf said. "We're in."

"No!" Bella cried. "You'll get yourselves killed, no way!"

"I wasn't asking for permission!" he hissed back.

"Edward?" she tried.

"It means more protection for you."

"Jacob," Carlisle asked. "Do you believe Sam will agree to an… understanding?"

"As long as we get to kill some vampires," was the crass response.

"Jasper?"

My husband nodded. "They'll give us the numbers, and the newborns won't know they even exist. That'll give us an edge."

"We'll need to coordinate," I added.

"Carlisle, they're gonna get hurt," insisted Bella, but she was ignored.

"We'll all need some training," Carlisle continued. "Fighting newborns requires knowledge that Jasper has. You're welcome to join us."

Jacob nodded. "Name the time and the place."

**TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT**

The family, minus Edward who was collecting Bella, was gathered in a clearing in the woods. It was dark, but that didn't affect our eyesight at all. I sat in the low branches of a tree, grinning down at the scene before me.

Emmett was flung through the air, flailing madly. He landed hard on is back, a loud thud echoing through the clearing, and immediately sprung back up to face Jasper.

"Again!" he growled.

However, everyone was distracted by the arrival of Edward and Bella as the Volvo skidded to a stop next to Jasper's Jeep. As they reached the rest of us, Edward announced that the pack had arrived. I hopped down from the tree, landing perfectly next to Jasper. I could see the pack starting to emerge from the treeline, eight giant shapeshifters who were as wary as we were. There was a tense moment when Emmett and Paul made eye contact.

"They don't trust us enough to be in their human forms," Edward explained.

"They came," Carlisle accepted. "That's all that matters. Will you translate?" Edward nodded and Carlisle stepped forward, slowly. "Welcome. Jasper has experience with newborns. He'll teach us how to defeat them."

"They want to know how the newborns differ from us."

"They're a great deal stronger than us, because their own human blood lingers in their tissues. Our kind is never more physically powerful than in our first several months of this life." Carlisle stepped back to let Jasper take over.

"Carlisle's right. That's why they are created. A newborn army doesn't need thousands like a human army, and no human army could stand against them the two most important things to remember are first, _never_ let them get their arms around you. They'll crush you instantly. The second is never go for the obvious kill. They'll be expecting that, and you _will_ lose. Emmett?" Jasper turned to take a fighting stance, as Emmett did the same opposite him. "Don't hold back."

"Not in my nature," the larger man quipped.

After Jasper and Emmett's sparring session, the rest of the family went in pairs to showcase to the pack exactly what vampires were capable of. Soon, it was my turn to go against Jasper.

For a moment, the two of us stood, watching each other carefully. Then, Jasper launched himself at me and I dodged. Gripping his arm, I twisted him over my head and into the tree above us. Jasper just used the branches to flip back over my head. Whipping around, I stared straight at him, but Jasper instantly moved his gaze. Swinging his leg up, he aimed a kick at my shoulders, but, again, I dodged and swung my own hit. I caught him in the chest, throwing him back. In a second, Jasper was on his feet again, but this time he wasn't so lucky. His eyes caught mine and he froze. I focused my gaze.

"Stop fighting," I murmured. I could see on Jasper's face that he wanted to move, but couldn't. I only held him for a second before he nodded and I released him from my compulsion, as Carlisle called it. The hours spent practicing with him and Jasper had finally paid off.

There was a small commotion from the wolves at my display and Edward hurried to explain. "No," he said. "Not all vampires can control minds. That's specific to Davina. As Bella has previously explained to you, some vampires carry over particularly strong traits from their human lives when they are turned. We believe that, for Davina, it was her persuasiveness, resulting in her gift of compulsion."

"Don't worry," I added. "I have full control now, so I only use it when necessary."

This seemed to pacify most of the wolves, though they watched me warily throughout the rest of the training session.

Bella had drifted away from us during the training. She sat with Jacob, in his wolf form, near the edge of the clearing. "Some of you are gonna get hurt," she muttered to him. "Some of you could get killed, because of me. It's gonna be a hundred times worse than this, right?" Jacob nuzzled her face and Bella leaned into him as Edward approached.

"We're done for the day," he stated briskly. His eyes lingered firmly on Jacob, a warning to leave with the rest of his pack. Slowly, he did.

Carlisle, Esme, Rose and Emmett had already said their goodbyes and had taken the jeep home. Bella was sitting on the hood of Edward's Volvo, whilst Edward finished clearing up. I followed Jasper towards her, dusting the dirt off of my hoodie.

"Jasper," Bella asked. "Are you sure there's nothing I can do to help?"

"Your presence alone, your scent will distract the newborns," he explained. " Their hunting instinct will take over, drive them crazy."

Bella sighed, relieved. "Good, I'm glad. Hey, how do you know so much about this?"

"I didn't have quite the same upbringing as my adopted siblings." Jasper kept walking passed the car, intent on ending that conversation before it started, but Bella jumped down from her perch and followed him. I sighed and flashed passed them to lean against the car.

"Those bites are like mine," Bella continued. Jasper's scars were on display in the bright moonlight.

"Battle scars," Jasper told her. "All the training the Confederate Army gave me was useless against the newborns. Still, I never lost a fight." Jasper hated his history with Maria, but I knew he was proud of the skills he'd gained during that period.

"This happened during the civil war?" Bella was persistent, following Jasper as he walked towards me.

Jasper nodded. "I was the youngest major in the Texas cavalry. All without having seen any real battle."

"Until..?"

"Until I met a certain immortal: Maria. I was riding back to Galveston, after evacuating a column of women and children, when I saw her. I immediately offered her my aid…" Jasper explained how Maria had turned him, using him to train the newborns for her vampire army.

"Maria was creating an army?"

"They were very common in the South… the cost of brutal battles for territory. Maria won them all. She was smart, careful. And she had me. I was the second in command. My abilities to control emotions served her well. I trained her newborns… an endless occupation since she never let them live beyond their first year. It was my job to dispose of them." Jasper's face was stone, hiding the remorse I knew he felt. "I could feel everything they felt."

I knew that Bella couldn't hear the sadness in his tone, but I did. I moved forward, taking his hand in mine. "I thought what Maria and I had was love. But I was her puppet. She pulled the strings. I didn't know there was another way until I met Alice. We found the Cullens and they showed me I could be a better person, I didn't have to be a murderer anymore. And then I met Davina…" He glanced down at me, an affectionate smile on his face. I squeezed his hand. "I don't know what I'd be without her."

"You'll never have to be that again," I murmured softly. I leaned up, pressing my lips to his.

For her sake, I really hoped I never ran into Maria.


	29. The Battle

The next few days were spent hunting and training. The day before the battle was due, Alice and I visited Charlie Swan to convince him to allow Bella to stay at our place with the two of us whilst the rest of the family "went camping". In reality, she would be staying with Edward in a tent far away from the battle site.

The morning of the fight dawned bright and, standing in the clearing, we had a clear view of where the newborns would come from. Jasper and Edward had brought Bella to the site, leaving a scent trail of her blood so that the newborns would follow it. I could smell her sweet freesia scent, but focused on what was coming. The family was tense, all of us concentrating on the actual fight, rather than the possibility of any of our deaths.

Suddenly, everything was silent. A flock of bird burst out of a tree moments before newborn vampires exploded into the clearing, rabid with thirst from Bella's scent. They stopped when they realised there was no human waiting in the clearing. The newborns looked around, confused. I shared a look with Jasper, who nodded, before I launched myself out of the treeline. The rest of the family followed.

I tackled a newborn, gripping him around the throat and yanking hard. His head came away from his neck and I tossed it across the field, the body collapsing at my feet. I continued this tactic, fighting my way through the army. A newborn tackled me to the ground and I grunted as I hit the floor, trying to get a good grip at her hair. Out of nowhere, a huge silver wolf shoved the newborn off of me, easily ripping her apart with its teeth. I nodded my thanks to Leah, knowing it was her due to her slightly smaller size compared to the others. Hopping to my feet, I grabbed the ankle of a newborn that was fighting Alice. I pulled him to the ground which let Alice press her foot to his throat. She started to crush his neck as I gripped his jaw and started to pull. Cracks appeared in his cheeks and his neck as the skin came apart, the sound like marble cracking. He managed to shove his head to the side, his teeth grazing the side of my hand. I hissed as the venom from his teeth stung my hand, jerking harder. Eventually, his jaw cracked and Alice's foot finally broke through his throat. His growls silenced. Alice kicked the head away and held a hand out for me to get up. Nodding my thanks, I dashed away to help Esme who was cornered by two newborns.

Jacob burst into the clearing, going straight for the neck of a newborn. Emmett goes to Paul's aid when the wolf is surrounded by three vampires, the two sharing a friendlier nod. I spun around, hearing a grunt behind me, to see a newborn biting into Jasper's shoulder. Instantly, I flung myself forwards, throwing the newborn away from my husband and sent him crashing over the heads over Rosalie and Carlisle, who killed him. I ignored the rest of the fight, tending to Jasper instead.

"Are you okay?" I asked, worried.

"I'm fine, darlin'" he assured me. He placed a hand on the back of my neck, tilting my heads so that he could press a gentle kiss to my hair. "I love you."

"Je t'aime, Jasper," I murmured back. **I love you**.

**TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT**

A sickly sweet smell spread through the clearing as the remaining newborn bodies were tossed into the bonfire. A purple-black plume of smoke rose high above the treeline and I hoped nobody from Forks questioned it. Edward and Bella emerged from the forest, making a bee-line for us.

"How long?" Edward asked.

"A few minutes," replied Alice. "Maybe ten." As the battle had died down, Alice had been overcome with a vision of some members of the Volturi making an appearance at the site.

"They timed their arrival well," Rosalie scoffed.

Emmett snorted. "Probably hoping the newborns took a few of us out."

Edward growled suddenly. "What's she doing here?"

A newborn vampire, a young girl, crouched behind Carlisle and Esme. "We offered safe haven if she stopped fighting, so she took it," Esme explained.

"The pack needs to leave," said Carlisle. "The Volturi won't honour a truce with the werewolves."

"Where's Jacob?" Bella asked. I gestured across the field. She sighed with relief as she spotted her friend, although it didn't last long.

A vicious snarl came from behind the wolf pack. We all turned to see Leah cornering a newborn that had previously been missed.

"Leah, don't!" Edward warned.

But she didn't listen. The vampire manoeuvred out of Leah's reach, grabbing her fur and yanking her off her feet. Jacob leapt onto the newborn and they rolled into the clearing. Unfortunately for Jacob, the vampire got the upper hand. He managed to get his arms around Jacob's chest and squeezed. An agonised howl echoed throughout the forest.

"Jacob!" screamed Bella. I put my hand out in front of her, preventing her from putting herself in danger by running to the wolf. The pack were instantly upon the newborn, ripping and tearing at him. Carlisle and Edward appeared at Jacob's side as h shifted back into a human, the right side of his body grotesquely disfigured as the bones were twisted out of place. Edward steadied the younger boy, gripping his hand as Carlisle conducted a quick examination.

"Hold on," my brother spoke. "Carlisle is gonna take care of you."

"The bones on the right side of his body are shattered," the doctor observed.

With the newborn now taken care of, I let go of Bella and she sprinted to the scene, dropping to her knees at Jacob's side.

"Bella…" he moaned.

"Jake, I'm right here."

The wolf pack reappeared, now in their human forms. Leah stormed forward. "Jacob, you idiot, I had it!"

"Leah!" Sam warned.

"I need to set the bones before his accelerated healing kicks in," Carlisle determined. "It's already starting."

Edward nodded. "We need to get him out of here. We're not gonna win a fight with the Volturi."

"We'll take him back to Billy's," said Sam.

"I'll be there as soon as I can," assured Carlisle.

Jacob cried out in pain as the pack worked together to lift him.

"Wait," Edward stopped them from leaving. "Jacob's body might try to automatically shift back. That will only cause more pain and disfigurement."

"How do we stop him from shifting?" Sam asked. "Even an alpha order can't do that."

Carlisle's eyes darted to me. "Davina."

"Carlisle?" I asked, warily.

"Would you be willing to let Davina go with you?" he asked Sam. "With her gift, she may be able to prevent Jacob from shifting if he tries. Also, we need to keep his fever down and our cooler temperature could help."

Sam hesitated, but nodded. "Just this once. And if she hurts anyone…" The threat was clear.

"Davina…" Jasper murmured.

"I'll be fine, Jazz," I said. "It's you I'm worried about. Jane."

"We'll be fine," said Alice. "Jane won't try anything."

"Hurry," urged Carlisle. "They'll be here any moment."

With one last look at my husband, I sped to the wolves, following them through the forest. Apart from Jacob's groans, it was silent until we reached a small red house that I assumed was the Black family home. Jared, Embry and Quil carried Jacob into the house. I was stopped from entering by Sam and Paul blocking the doorway.

"Listen, leech," Paul snarled.

"Paul!" Sam hissed. Paul backed down a little, but still glared harshly at me. "Davina, I understand you're here to help. But understand this, if you hurt Billy, or anyone, the pack will be obligated to take you out."

"This is a one-time thing, leech," Paul stated coldly.

"I understand," I said calmly. "I promise I'm not here to hurt anyone. Only to help."

Sam nodded and stepped aside, nudging his pack mate to do the same.

I walked through the small house; following Jacob's pained groans to his bedroom. The pack was gathered in the hallway outside of the bedroom, Jacob's father sitting at his bedside. "It might be better if we give Jacob some room," I murmured. "Carlisle will be here soon, we'll need the space."

"Davina's right," agreed Sam from behind me. "The doctor will help but there isn't enough room for everyone to crowd him. Davina will sit with Jacob until the doctor arrives, in case she needs to stop him from shifting. The rest of us will wait outside."

The wolves grumbled, Leah shooting a dirty look in my direction, before they trailed back out of the house. I stepped into Jacob's room and stopped in front of Billy.

"Chief Black, I'm really sorry for Jacob's pain. But I promise you, Carlisle can help him."

He nodded. "I know. I trust the doctor. And this isn't your fault; Jacob is very stubborn. Just like is mother."

I smiled. "She must have been wonderful."

"She was."

A crack interrupted our conversation. I turned to look at Jacob and my eyes widened.

"Merde!" I gasped. Jacob's body was contorting, the skin blurring with the vibrations of shapeshifting. I flashed to his side, gripping his fevered chin. I forced him to look at me, making eye contact. "Concentrate, Jacob. _Stop the shift._ " I kept the eye contact, repeating the command. " _Stop the shift_."

Jacob's breath came in harsh, painful gasps. His body jerked, but remained in its human form.

"Davina."

Finally looking away from the shifter, I saw Carlisle standing in the doorway. He was at my side in a second. I moved away to give him space, watching as the doctor observed Jacob's injuries.

"The bones have started to set themselves but they're in the wrong position. Did he try to shift."

"Yes, but my powers worked. I stopped him."

Carlisle frowned. "I'll have to re-break some of the bones to set them properly. Chief, you might want to go outside; this won't be pleasant. I might need Sam's help. Davina, could you…?"

"Of course." I slowly wheeled Billy out of the house, finding the pack gathered outside. There were more people now, imprints I assumed.

"How is he?" Embry asked.

"Not good," I replied. "He started to shift and I stopped him, but Carlisle is going to have to re-break some of the bones to reset them."

"Jesus," Sam breathed.

"Carlisle's asking for you, Sam," I told him. He nodded and kissed his imprint before heading inside.

Leah groaned, thumping her head back against the wall. "He's an idiot."

"Leah, enough," Seth told his sister. "Jake was just trying to help. That vamp would have killed you."

"I had it!" she snapped back. "I can handle myself-"

She was cut off by a guttural scream from inside the house. Those of us with supernatural hearing flinched at the sharp noise. I put a gentle hand on Billy's shoulder. It couldn't be easy for him to hear his son in such pain.

There was a rumble in the distance and I recognised the noise. "Bella's coming."

Sure enough, her rusty old truck sped into the driveway. The girl jumped out of the truck, slamming the door. As she reached the porch, another scream echoed out and everybody cringed again. Emily, Sam's imprint, moved to Billy and put her arm around him. I gave her a grateful look and moved to Bella.

"It's been going on for a while," Quil told her.

"Doc's re-breaking his bones," Embry added.

Bella's expression was horrified and I pulled her to my side, keeping an arm around her shoulders.

"Why'd he have to butt in? I could have taken that tick."

"Oh, give it a rest, Leah!" Paul snapped.

Everybody's attention was drawn to the door as Carlisle exited the house with Sam.

"The worst is over," Carlisle declared. "He'll be alright." The group let out a collective sigh of relief. "I gave him some morphine, but his body temperature will burn it off soon. I'll come back to set up a drip."

"Thank you," said Billy, sincerely.

Carlisle looked at Bella next. "He's asking for you."

Bella nodded and went inside.

"I should go, Carlisle," I said. "Jasper will be wondering what's going on."

"Of course," he said. "I'll be home shortly."

I turned away, ready to leave, but Emily reached out and grabbed my hand. I turned back curiously.

"Thank you," she smiled softly. "For helping Jacob."

"Yes, thank you, Davina," added Billy. "Without your help, Jacob could have been hurt a lot worse if he had shifted."

"You're welcome," I smiled back.

**TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT**

"I'm so glad you're okay," I said to Jasper. We were curled up together on our bed, the house empty apart from us. "When that newborn bit you…"

"I know, darlin'," he murmured. "But it's not like it hasn't happened to me before."

"I know, it's just… I could have lost you," I fretted. "If he'd managed to get his teeth just a few centimetres over then you could have died."

Jasper sat up, tugging me with him. "Davina, I promise you: I will _never_ leave you. Nobody, vampire or werewolf, hell not even a space invasion, could ever separate us."

I giggled. "A space invasion?"

"I couldn't think of anyone else," he snorted.

I rolled my eyes. "You're adorable."

"Well, I mean it. I love you."

"I love you too, Jazz."

Relaxing back into Jasper's embrace, I was happy. A weight had been lifted off of all our shoulders now that Victoria had finally been taken care of.

Now all we had to do was plan a wedding.


	30. Wedding

**Chapter 30**

"You just have to break them in," Alice said optimistically.

Bella was slowly stumbling across the deck, the heel of her wedding shoes dragging and catching constantly. She sighed, "I've been breaking them in. For three days. Can't I just go barefoot?"

"No!" Alice gasped, horrified. "Absolutely not!"

"Just thinking it's a little much, you know? The dress, and the shoes, and all… this." Bella gestured around the garden at the elaborate decorations and flowers. As if to reinforce her point, Jasper and Carlisle walked passed us, carrying wooden benches for the wedding guests.

Jasper sent me a grin and I smiled back before my attention was drawn back to the girls by Alice's slight huff.

"No, it's exactly enough," she said primly. "Tomorrow will be perfect."

"Where do you wanna 'em, boss?"

We turned to see Emmett casually carrying a long tree trunk over his shoulder. He smirked at the awe on Bella's face.

"On either side of the aisle," Alice directed.

"What aisle?" Rose joked, coming up behind her husband with a large tree stump.

"Does no one have vision?" Alice growled, stomping off to boss them around some more.

I rolled my eyes, turning back to Bella. "You know, it is your wedding, Bella. If you'd rather go barefoot, don't let Alice stop you."

Bella snorted. "She'd probably force them on my feet halfway down the aisle."

"I'll hold her off," I joked, and she smiled as the aforementioned pixie appeared next to us again.

"I heard that, Davina," she narrowed her eyes at me. "You," she said to Bella, "Go home and get lots of beauty sleep. That's an order."

"Okay." Bella hugged us both quickly before heading back inside to find Edward.

Alice picked up Bella's white heels and smiled softly.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Just excited!"

"Me too," I agreed. "But maybe ease up a little, yeah? Bella is only human, after all."

"I know," Alice sighed. "I'm just so happy this is _finally_ happening! After everything they've been through, they deserve the best wedding."

I took her hand and squeezed it gently. "And it will be. Just, chill out a bit."

"I will relax when they are on their honeymoon," she said.

"Well, maybe it won't be long until your own wedding," I smirked, nodding towards Sebastian, who was helping Esme set up the archway. Alice followed my gaze, and if she were human she would have blushed as red as Bella did. "And you can go as extravagant as you like."

"Maybe I will," she smiled.

**TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT**

The ceremony had been lovely. Bella looked stunning in her dress and Edward was handsome as ever, though obviously no match for golden haired god that stood with his arm around my waist. Jasper was gorgeous on any given day, but in his tuxedo… Wow.

"Calm down, darlin'," Jasper murmured in my ear. "Or we'll be leaving before the dancing starts, and I know you don't want to miss that."

"Jazz," I grinned. "Trust me, there'll be _dancing_ at some point tonight."

Jasper's golden eyes slowly dragged down my body and then back up to meet my own. " _Petite renarde_." **Little vixen.**

I giggled and was about to respond when my sensitive hearing picked up a sneer from across the reception. I looked around and caught sight of Angela and the others from school near the wedding cake.

"Just thought it'd be bigger," Jessica mocked.

"Yeah," murmured Eric.

I kissed Jasper's cheek and told him I would be back in a minute, before heading over to the group.

"Jessica, hi!" I greeted. "Hi, how are you guys? Did you like the wedding?"

Angela smiled, genuinely happy for her friend. "It was lovely, they both look so happy!"

"I know, true love, right?" I agreed.

"Yeah, we were just saying how pretty everything is, you know, just saying," Jessica muttered.

"Oh, well thank you!" I gushed. "Alice did most of the planning; she was worried it might be too much. What do you think?" I gestured to the stunning wedding cake.

"No, no, no not at all," Jessica backtracked.

"Good, good." I smirked, winked at Angela, and turned to find Jasper again.

I found him and Sebastian talking to Eleazer, the Denali coven having come down from Alaska for the wedding. As I headed over I passed Irina storming across the dance floor. I frowned, watching her disappear into the house.

"What's up with Irina?" I asked Eleazer as I reached them.

The other vampire kissed my cheek in greeting, wary of Jasper's watchful gaze, and sighed. "It would appear that Irina is still unhappy with a few of your brother's wedding guests."

"She had a bit of a tiff about Seth being here," Sebastian added.

"Oh," I said. "Poor Irina. I know Laurent was trying to kill Bella, but still, I do feel bad for Irina. Although, I'm sure she'll find love again." I leaned into Jasper's chest, momentarily sad before I felt him use his gift to send a wave of love and joy my way. I smiled at my beloved as everyone started to take their seats for the toasts.

There was a tinkling sound as Emmett tapped is champagne glass at the microphone. "Excuse me, is this on? Hello? Umm, I'd like to propose a toast to my new sister. Bella, I hope you've gotten enough sleep these last eighteen years 'cause you won't be getting any more for a while." Emmett laughed whilst everyone looked at him awkwardly. I bit my lip to keep from smiling, knowing that while Emmett could not resist an innuendo, he was actually referring to Bella's impending immortal life.

Jessica's speech didn't go over much better: "Well, Bella was just like everybody else, totally _mesmerised_ by Edward, or "The Hair," as I call him." Jasper snorted beside me. "And then, suddenly, Edward is all about Bella… even though she's not the captain of the volleyball team," she laughs. "I'm just kidding, I'm kidding… or the president of the student council."

After the most jealous wedding speech in the history of ever finally ended, it was finally time for the parent's toasts. I giggled at Charlie's not so subtle death threats to Edward and Renee's drunken singing. Alice's toast was, of course, all about how she could dress Bella up. Esme's speech was short but loving, however, it was Edward's speech that would have brought me to tears had I still been able to cry.

"It's an extraordinary thing to meet someone who you can bare your soul to, and who will accept you for what you are. I've been waiting, what seems like a very long time, to get beyond what I am, and with Bella I feel like I can finally begin. So I'd like to propose a toast to my beautiful bride: no measure of time with you will be long enough, but let's start with forever."

**TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT**

The guests were gathered around the front of the house, waiting for Bella and Edward to depart on their honeymoon. Bella was saying goodbye to her mother, whilst Emmett was trying to give Edward dirty tips for his wedding night. Appearing behind him, I slapped Emmett on the back of his head.

"Leave him alone, doofus," I told him.

"I'm just trying to give him some tips to please his lady," he protested, waggling his eyebrows.

"He doesn't need tips from you," I said. "You should go and find Alice. She's got rice to throw."

Emmett's face lit up and he rushed away at human speed to find our pixie sister. I turned to look at Edward.

"Congratulations, big brother," I said softly, leaning forward to hug him.

He kissed my hair. "Thank you, Davina."

"Enjoy Isle Esme," I smiled, before pulling away to let him meet Bella at the car.

As they drove off, Jasper came to stand at my side, gripping my hand gently with an arm around my shoulders. "Come on, darlin'," he said. "The human guests are leaving now and Esme wants us to help set the garden back to normal."

**TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT**

I was curled up in Jasper's arms on the sofa in the living room. Jasper was watching another documentary on the civil war, whilst I was reading _Alice in Wonderland_ , one of my favourite classics. The rest of the family was scattered throughout the house, doing various activities.

Alice was sitting in the armchair, doing some online shopping for the cottage that she and Esme were in the middle of designing for Edward and Bella, when she suddenly gasped.

Jasper and I both looked up at the sound, concerned.

"Alice?" I asked.

Without answering, she practically dove for her phone on the coffee table, dialling a number.

" _Hello_?" I frowned at the sound of Bella's voice. Why would Alice have called her during the honeymoon?

"Bella? Are you alright?" Alice worried. By now, the whole family had gathered in the living room, concerned about what Alice might have seen.

" _I'm not… one hundred percent sure."_

"Why? What's wrong? I just…" Alice glanced up at Carlisle, who gestured for the phone.

" _You just what? Alice, what did you see?"_

"Here's Carlisle." Alice passed the phone over.

"Bella, what's going on?" Carlisle asked, immediately in doctor mode.

" _I don't know. I'm a little worried. Can vampires go into shock?"_

"Has Edward been harmed?"

Esme raised a hand to her mouth to prevent a gasp of worry from escaping. Instantly, I was out of my seat and wrapping my arms around her. "I'm sure he's fine," I murmured.

" _No. I know that it's impossible, but I think that I'm pregnant."_ The room was completely silent. None of us moved, all surprised at the idea. " _Whoa! Carlisle, I swear, something just moved inside me!"_

There was a slight sound as Edward took the phone from his wife. " _Is this even possible?"_

"I don't know," replied Carlisle. "The sooner Bella's here, the sooner we can find out what it is. I need you to get to the mainland at once."

" _Yeah, yeah, I will."_ Edward hung up.

"Carlisle, could it be?" Esme wondered.

The doctor frowned. "I'm not certain. I need to look at her. Alice, what did you see?"

"Nothing much," she sighed. "Bella went blurry, I can't see her future anymore."

"What else could it be?" I asked. "She said something moved inside her. Could it be a parasite that she's picked up in Brazil?"

"We'll have to wait until she gets here," Carlisle told us. "For now, all we can do is wait. I'll have to get some equipment set up to check Bella out when they arrive. "Jasper, will you help me?"

My husband nodded, following Carlisle out of the house after quickly kissing me goodbye.

"Esme, you should go to the store and restock on food for Bella," Alice said. "I'll keep scanning the future to see if Bella reappears."

"I'll go with Esme," said Sebastian, moving to grab his car keys. He gently touched Alice's shoulder as he passed her, before leaving the house with Esme.

Rosalie's phone rang and she blurred out of the room to answer it.

Emmett sighed. I could see the stress on his usually happy face. "I'm going hunting. D, you wanna come?"

"Sure, why not?" I agreed. "Who knows what we'll be doing when Bella gets back. Might as well prepare, just in case."

I quickly grabbed some boots and slipped them on, stopping to check Alice was okay before we left.

"I'm fine, Davina. I'll join you later with Jazz and Sebastian when they get back."

"Okay," I said. Kissing Alice's cheek, I ran through the patio doors after Emmett.

"Hey, wait up, you big lug!"


	31. Pregnancy

The house was laden with tension as Rosalie led Bella up to Carlisle's office. The human girl looked pale but determined. Edward and Carlisle were preparing equipment.

"What are you doing?" Bella asked confusedly.

"Preparing for surgery," Edward growled. "So that Carlisle can get that thing out of you."

Bella gasped. "Edward, no!"

"Carlisle, this is ridiculous!" Rose snapped. "It's a baby!"

"Relax, Edward," Carlisle soothed. "We don't even know for sure. Why don't you all wait downstairs while I examine Bella?"

"I'm staying," Rose insisted.

I could tell that Edward was getting wound up again so I gently took his arm and pulled him downstairs to the lounge to wait with the others. "Come on, Edward, Carlisle can help her."

After a very tense ten minutes of watching Edward practically pace a hole through Esme's floor, Carlisle finally emerged from his office.

"Carlisle?" Esme asked.

The blonde vampire looked confused and curious all at once. "Bella is pregnant."

Edward growled and ran from the house so fast he was practically a blur, even to my vampire eyes.

"How is this possible?" Esme wondered.

"I'm not sure. I have never heard of this happening before," Carlisle replied. "But Bella is certain that she wants to go through with the pregnancy."

"Is that safe?" I asked quietly.

"I do not know."

"I don't care." We looked over to see Bella stood in the doorway, Rosalie hovering protectively behind her. "It's my body," she said. "And my baby. I don't care what Edward says, this is our baby and I am not killing it!"

I shared a look with Jasper before moving out of his hold and towards Bella. "Bella, if this is what you really want, then I will support you. I'm just worried about your health. Carlisle is over 300 years old and he's never heard of this happening, which means we have no idea what to expect."

"I know," Bella replied softly. "I know it might not be a normal pregnancy, but when has my life ever been normal?"

I smiled slightly, shaking my head. I turned to Carlisle. "Do you think it's possible for her to survive this? That there's any chance _at all_ that this could be a normal pregnancy?"

"I suppose it's possible," he said. "But we already know it is progressing slightly faster than usual, considering I can hear a heartbeat already."

I focused my hearing, looking back at the human girl next to me. Faintly, I could hear a second heartbeat beneath the rhythm of Bella's own heart. "Is this really what you want, Bella?"

She nodded. "Yes, I really do."

"Then we will research everything we can," Rose said.

"In the meantime, Bella, is there anything in particular you'd like to eat?" Esme asked kindly.

Bella grinned. "Are there any eggs?"

**TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT**

Over the next two weeks, the tension in the house only got worse. Edward was furious that Carlisle would not abort Bella's baby, while Rosalie was equally as angry that Edward was not supporting his wife. The blonde was extremely protective of Bella and her child, partly due to her own inability to reproduce. I was a little unsure at first of Rosalie's new found friendship with Bella, but after a while it became apparent to me that Rosalie truly cared about Bella's chance to be a parent, and she wasn't just going along with it for selfish reasons.

Alice was wary of being in the same room as Bella; her visions had become increasingly blurry over the last two weeks, especially in regards to Bella and the baby. Alice's tension influenced Sebastian, and he stuck close to her, worried.

Emmett was also worried but was supportive in that he didn't want to disagree with his wife, though he wasn't his usual self. He hadn't joked around as much over the last few weeks.

Esme and I were supportive of Bella; Esme was constantly trying to get Bella to eat something, though extreme morning sickness was preventing the human from doing so. Bella's pregnancy had developed far faster than we had expected. Despite only discovering the pregnancy two weeks earlier, Bella's stomach was now as large as if she was seven months along. Due to the fast progression, her morning sickness had been extremely severe, the poor girl unable to keep down water, let alone food. Carlisle had put her on a drip in order to keep fluids in her body but Bella was wasting away in front of us.

Carlisle had lied to Charlie to keep him away from the house. The police chief had called constantly over the last two weeks wondering when Bella would be home so eventually Carlisle had told him that Bella and Edward were extending their trip due to Bella being unwell. Unfortunately, none of us had thought about Jacob and his obsession with trying to keep Bella human.

**TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT****TWILIGHT**

I was sitting on the end of the sofa, Bella's feet in my lap as she lay across the sofa wrapped in blankets. Rose sat on the arm of the sofa on the other end, whilst Jasper sat on the arm next to me, his arm around my shoulders as I leaned into him. The rest of the family was scattered about the living room, all of us watching Bella carefully.

A rumble sounded in the distance and, after a moment, I realised it as the sound of a motorcycle engine.

"Jacob," Edward murmured, too low for Bella to hear.

"I'll go," Carlisle told him. He disappeared from the room and I heard him opening the front door.

"Is it true?" Jacob demanded.

"Hello, Jacob how are you?"

"Listen, just give it to me straight," the wolf demanded, his voice raising.

Bella sat up slightly. "Jake is that you?"

"She's here?"

"They came home two weeks ago," Carlisle told him.

Jacob stomped passed Carlisle, pausing in the doorway to the living room.

"Jake, I'm glad you came," Bella said happily.

He took a step forward but Rose blocked his way. "Close enough," she hissed.

"What's your problem?" Jacob huffed.

"Rose, it's okay," Bella told her. Rosalie slowly backed away and Jacob moved towards Bella. As he did, the stench of wet dog got stronger and I flitted across the living room, Jasper following me, to stand by Esme.

Jacob took my seat on the end of the sofa. "So, are you gonna tell me what's wrong with you?"

Bella sighed, "Rose will you help me up?"

With Rose's help, Bella slowly stands up off the sofa and the blankets drop to reveal her heavily pregnant belly. There was a moment of silence, and then Jacob growled. He stood, gesturing wildly at Edward. "You did this!"

"I didn't know it was even possible," Edward muttered. His eyes were dark from stress and thirst. It was easy to see that this whole situation was killing him.

"What is it?" the wolf asked.

"I'm not sure," Carlisle replied. "Ultrasounds and needles won't penetrate the embryonic sac.

"I can't see it, either," Alice told him. "And I can't see Bella's future anymore."

"We've been researching legends but there isn't much to go on," Carlisle explained. "What we do know is that it's strong and fast growing."

"Why haven't you done anything? Take it out of her?"

"This is none of your business, dog!" Rose snarled.

"Rose!" Esme scolded. "All this fighting isn't good for Bella/"

Alice snorted. "The _foetus_ isn't good for Bella."

"Say the word, Alice," Rose snapped. "Baby! It's just a little baby!"

"Possibly," Jasper interjected quietly. I squeezed his hand gently, knowing he was just as worried about Bella as the rest of us.

"Carlisle, you gotta do something!" Jacob insisted.

"No," said Bella. "It's not his decision. It's not any of yours."

"Jacob," Edward interrupted. "I need to talk to you."

Jacob huffed and followed Edward out of the house.

I sighed. Jasper gently stroked my back, knowing how stressed I was. How stressed we all were. At that moment, I realised it must be even harder for him, being able to feel all of our emotional turmoil over the situation on top of his own.

"Come on." I tugged his hand, making him follow after me as I left the house. Ignoring Edward and Jacob in front of the house, I headed for the forest.

"Where are we going?" Jasper asked.

"For a hunt," I told him. "We're both thirsty and stressed and I know it's harder for you, feeling everyone else's strain too."

Jasper stopped, using his grip on my hand to pull me to his chest into a hug. "Thank you, darlin'."

I leaned up to kiss him softly. "I hate this, Jazz."

"I know," he murmured, resting his cheek on my hair. "So do I."

"I feel so sorry for Edward," I sighed. "I understand where Bella is coming from, I mean, I don't think I'd be able to kill my own child even if it was for my own health, but I can see that this is killing him. It's _killing_ him, Jasper."

"Hush, darlin', calm down," Jasper soothed. " Edward will be fine."

"What if she dies?" I panicked. "If Bella dies, Edward will go back to the Volturi. Our whole family will be torn apart!"

"That won't happen, Davina," Jasper said firmly. "Carlisle knows what he's doing. This might not be a normal pregnancy, but it's not the first one that Carlisle has had to deal with. And _if_ Bella dies, I will not let Edward destroy himself. I will lock him up if I have to, but he won't be going to the Volturi. Everything will be okay, Davina, I promise you."

I nodded against his chest, unable to speak. We stood there, comforting each other for a while.

Howls suddenly ripped through the air, startling me. I looked up at Jasper, frowning.

"Guess Jacob told his pack," I said.

"We should get back," Jasper said. He took my hand and pulled me back towards the house. Edward was standing on the front porch. As we reached him, Jacob burst out of the trees.

"Get ready," he warned. "They're coming for Bella."

"They're not gonna touch her!" Edward snarled.

"Agreed."


End file.
